Trump defends the $200 million privately funded White House ballroom with historical examples

President Donald TrumpThe privately financed $200 million White House ballroom is the latest “bold, necessary addition” to the executive residence, officials said, describing the East Wing’s construction as a continuation of presidential upgrades dating back more than a century.

Photos of the demolished facade of the East Wing went viral on Monday, prompting online criticism and a swift rebuttal from the White House. who wrote that “Unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom… a bold, necessary addition that reflects the storied history of commanders-in-chief improvements and additions to keep the executive residence a beacon of American excellence.”

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt echoed the president’s message Tuesday on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” saying, “I believe there’s a lot of false outrage right now.”

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“Almost every president who has lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made his own modernizations and renovations,” Leavitt added. “In fact, for decades – in modern times – presidents have joked about how they wished they had a larger event room here at the White House, something that could accommodate hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room.

“President Obama even complained about having to hold a state dinner on the South Lawn and rent a very expensive tent while in office.”

In one article shared on TuesdayThe government listed more than a dozen examples of leaders who “renovated, expanded and modernized” the property to “meet the needs of the present day,” from Theodore Roosevelt’s West Wing in 1902 to Barack Obama’s Vegetable garden in 2009.

Trump first confirmed the ballroom project on Truth Social on Monday, writing: “I am happy to announce that ground has been broken… on the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being completely modernized… and will be more beautiful than ever when it’s finished!”

“For more than 150 years, every president has dreamed of having a ballroom… I am honored to be the first president to finally get this much-needed project underway – at no cost to the American taxpayer!” he continued, crediting “many generous patriots, major American corporations and the undersigned” for financing the construction. “This ballroom will be enjoyed for generations to come!”

The White House Rapid Response 47 account also shared a detailed thread on X Tuesday showing how past presidents “have renovated, expanded and modernized the White House to meet the needs of the present.”

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Trump elaborated on this on Tuesday, calling the federal government “so big for nothing.”

“We are building a world-class ballroom,” he said. “You’re probably hearing the beautiful sound of construction in the back here. That’s music to my ears. People don’t like it. I love it. When I hear that sound, it reminds me of money. In this case, a lack of money, because I’m paying for it.”

Trump also noted that the East Room, currently the largest indoor event space, is little more than a “cocktail room” with seating for about 88 people.

At a Diwali event at the White House on Tuesday evening, Trump again referenced the project and his decision not to take a salary, joking that “they probably owe me a lot of money” for everything he put into the building.

“When I get money from our country, I do something nice with it. For example, give it to charity or to the White House,” he said. “We’re restoring the White House and we’re doing a great job. The ballroom is under construction. ​​They’ve been trying to get it for 150 years.’

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The ballroom project is the latest of Trump’s improvements to the property, including an overhaul of the Rose Garden and Palm Room.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.