White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday that construction of a new ballroom at the People’s House will begin in September.
“For 150 years, presidents, administrations, and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed. President Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future administrations and the American people,” she said during a press briefing.
Leavitt explained that the White House is “currently unable” to host “major functions” without erecting an unsightly event tent “approximately one hundred yards away from the main building’s entrance.”
Earlier this year, President Trump suggested the idea of building a ballroom at the White House, and even revealed that he pitched this plan to the Biden administration – but was ignored, as reported by RSBN.
Now, Trump is moving full steam ahead on this vision, and it will be funded entirely by donations. Notably, President Trump is donating to the project, along with other generous individuals, who have not been specifically identified at this time.
Leavitt said the president chose McCrery Architects as the lead architect on this project, and the construction team will be headed up by Clark Construction.
The ballroom will cost approximately $200 million, according to an estimate from a White House press release.
The new ballroom will be located outside the main building of the White House, where the reconstructed East Wing is now. The “theme and architectural heritage” will be nearly identical to the original building, the White House said.
“President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail,” said White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in an official statement.
She continued, “The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come.”
Construction will begin in September and is expected to conclude before President Trump’s term in office comes to an end.