Trump's White House Ballroom Project May Cost Taxpayers Millions, Report Says

A controversial plan by U.S. President Donald Trump to construct a large ballroom at the White House is projected to cost approximately $600 million, with more than half of the funding potentially coming from public sources, according to The Washington Post. This revelation directly challenges the president's consistent assertion that the project would be entirely financed through private donations.

The newspaper, citing internal documents from the contractor Clark Construction, indicates that a March estimate placed the project's budget $200 million higher than the $400 million figure previously stated by Trump. The documents reportedly show that around $307 million would be sourced from public funds, primarily allocated for security measures by the Secret Service and the White House Military Office.

In contrast, private donors are expected to contribute approximately $293 million. Despite Trump's repeated public statements, including one in March asserting "not ten cents of taxpayer money" would be used, federal records suggest the government approved numerous payments totaling tens of millions of dollars using public funds early in the project's planning stages.

These documents indicate that the use of taxpayer money was anticipated from the outset, with officials reportedly seeking to link the project to security needs to justify the public financing under tax legislation. The construction, which involves demolishing the East Wing of the White House, faced a temporary halt following a federal judge's ruling in March that questioned Trump's authority to proceed without specific congressional approval. An appeals court is currently reviewing this decision.