President Donald Trump defended the rising costs for the White House ballroom, but noted that the project is still coming in under budget.
“The only reason the cost has changed is because, after deep rooted studies, it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal, which would not have been adequate to handle the necessary events, meetings, and even future Inaugurations,” Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday.
Recommended Stories
“The original price was 200 Million Dollars, the double sized, highest quality completed project will be something less than 400 Million Dollars,” the president’s post continued. “It will be magnificent, safe, and secure! This was a necessary change.”
Trump’s comments come after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the Senate Judiciary Committee’s reconciliation bill on Tuesday, which included $1 billion toward security features for Trump’s ballroom.
The president previously insisted that private donors would fund the project.
Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a bill that would allocate $400 million in federal funding to the ballroom.
Trump has argued that the ballroom is a necessity in light of recent targeted attacks against him.
On April 25, the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner took a turn when suspected gunman Cole Allen, 31, reportedly fired shots from inside the Washington Hilton. Secret Service agents tackled Allen, and no serious injuries were reported, but one agent was shot on his bulletproof vest and is recovering.
Allen was charged with trying to assassinate the president of the United States and was indicted on Tuesday.
The ballroom project was originally slated to cost $200 million when the White House announced it in July 2025. The estimated cost has now doubled to $400 million.
Trump supported the increase and defended it by saying the change to $400 million was actually “done long ago, but the Fake News failed to report it, trying to make it look like there was a cost overrun.”
DOES GRASSLEY’S SPENDING BILL GIVE TRUMP $1 BILLION FOR THE WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM?
Despite this, Trump said the ballroom is “coming in ahead of schedule, and under budget!”
The Washington Examiner contacted the White House for comment.
