US President Donald Trump has defended plans to construct a new ballroom at the White House, calling it a “great, big, beautiful gift” to the United States and blasting a lawsuit seeking to halt the project.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the ballroom — estimated to cost between $300 million and $400 million — would be built entirely with private funds and no taxpayer money.
“This is a GIFT (ZERO taxpayer funding!) to the United States of America,” Trump wrote, adding that the project is being funded with “Great American Patriots’ money.”
‘Desperately needed’ White House space
Trump said the ballroom would address a long-standing need for a permanent, secure venue for large state events, noting that previous administrations had relied on temporary structures.
“For over 150 years, previous Presidents and Administrations” sought such a space, he wrote, arguing the White House should no longer be “forced to use a cheap and unsafe ‘tent’” for major state dinners, meetings, conferences, and future inaugurations.
He cited safety, security, and capacity concerns, especially given the weather-prone White House lawn.
Military, Secret Service involvement
Trump said the project has been developed “working closely with, right from the beginning, the United States Military and Secret Service,” and claimed it had their “design, consent, and approval.”
He added that construction materials — including “structural steel, bulletproof windows, anti-drone roofing, marble, stone, and precast concrete” — have already been ordered, making it impractical to stop the project.
“There is no practical or reasonable way to go back. IT IS TOO LATE!” Trump wrote.
Lawsuit draws sharp criticism
Trump lashed out at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has filed suit to block the project, calling it the “Radical Left National (No!) Trust for Historic Preservation.”
“Why didn’t these obstructionists and troublemakers bring their baseless lawsuit much earlier?” he asked, claiming Congress never attempted to stop the project and that “everyone knew what was taking place at the White House.”
Trump argued that the East Wing had already been heavily altered over decades and “bore no resemblance or relationship to the original building.”
‘A president has never needed permission’
Trump said presidents have broad authority to modify the White House, citing its unique status.
“It’s a place that a President has never needed permission to change or enhance,” he wrote, “no matter how big (and important!) that enhancement may be.”
He warned that halting construction now would be “devastating to the White House, our Country, and all concerned,” and said the lawsuit had already exposed what he described as a previously “Top Secret” security-related aspect of the project.
Lawsuit challenges Trump’s White House ballroom project
A preservation group has sued the Trump administration, alleging the president unlawfully fast-tracked construction of a new White House ballroom without required legal and environmental reviews. The lawsuit claims the project violates the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that all work should stop until formal design reviews, environmental assessments, public comment, and congressional deliberation are completed. It says projects of this scale must involve the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and lawmakers.
The Trust said it warned federal oversight bodies on October 21, after demolition of the East Wing began, urging the administration to halt construction and comply with federal law.
