(The Hill) — President Trump on Saturday defended high costs associated with his White House ballroom project, telling critics that the space will be “much bigger and more beautiful” when completed.
Trump first slammed CNN’s chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins for asking about the changing price tag.
“Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago,” the president wrote on Truth Social, misspelling the journalist’s name. “I said because it is going to be double the size, and the quality of finishes and interiors has been brought to the highest level.”
“Also, the column SPAN has been substantially increased for purposes of viewing,” he continued. “It is actually under budget and ahead of schedule, as my jobs always are.”
Trump added, “It’s just much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned. Interestingly, and seldom reported, there are no taxpayer dollars involved. It is being fully paid for by private donations.”
The White House initially announced in July that the ballroom, adjacent to the East Wing, would cost $200 million. The price increased in short time, with the president saying it would cost $300 million. A White House official told ABC News in late October that it would cost $350 million.
Though Trump previously said the construction would not interfere with the existing buildings, the project generated controversy after the entire East Wing was demolished in October.
During the demolition, the White House released a list of major companies donating to help cover the cost of the ballroom. The list includes Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta Platforms, Lockheed Martin, Comcast Corporation, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, Union Pacific Railroad and T-Mobile. Trump said he was also donating some of his own personal finances into the project.
James McCrery II and his architecture firm were initially tapped to handle the project until the administration confirmed on Thursday that Shalom Baranes, who has designed government buildings for years, will take over. McCrery will remain on the project as a consultant.
“Shalom is an accomplished architect whose work has shaped the architectural identity of our nation’s capital for decades and his experience will be a great asset to the completion of this project,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle previously said in a statement.
The project and demolition were met with criticism from lawmakers, pundits, historians and past White House residents and employees. Though the East Wing was controversial since its initial phase of construction under former President Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800s, modern-day critics largely view Trump’s reformation as “a loss for us as a nation,” former first lady Michelle Obama said.
Michael LaRosa, a White House aide under the Biden administration, called it, “sad” but “probably needed,” while former President Clinton’s daughter Chelsea Clinton equated it to “a wrecking ball to our heritage.”
The donor list prompted concern from lawmakers. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 10 other Democrats sent letters to the various companies questioning if there were “any potential quid-pro-quo arrangement” related to antitrust cases and investigations.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll in October found that 56 percent of Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” oppose the robust project.