White House ballroom costs may rise to $600M, with half coming from taxpayers: Report

The projected cost for a new White House ballroom has reportedly escalated to $600 million, with more than half expected to be funded by taxpayers, according to a Washington Post report. This figure significantly exceeds President Trump's earlier assertions that private donors would fully finance the $400 million initiative.

The newspaper cited a copy of a detailed cost estimate prepared for the Trump administration by Clark Construction, the contractor hired to build the ballroom. The project began last year when Trump, with little warning and without consulting Congress, tore down the entire historic East Wing of the White House.

In late March, Trump reiterated to reporters that the project would cost up to $400 million, calling it 'tax-payer free.' However, a summary prepared for the White House earlier that month already estimated the total cost at $600 million, with only $293 million coming from 'private sources,' the Post said. When Trump made those comments in March, the administration had already approved more than a dozen payments of public funds to Clark Construction totaling tens of millions of dollars, the Post said, citing a log of the contractor's invoices.

When Trump first floated the idea of the ballroom he said it would only cost $200 million. Democratic opponents of the president have pointed to the gilded ballroom and other costly renovation projects around the US capital as evidence that the billionaire leader is out of touch with everyday Americans. Republicans fear that continued concerns among voters about the cost of living, especially soaring fuel costs due to the Iran war, could spell disaster in the November midterm elections.

Trump insists the White House needs a large ballroom for hosting state dinners and other major events. The project has prompted a legal battle, with a judge ruling in March that work above ground needed to halt. The ruling was put on hold as an appeals court considers the case. Trump's administration has argued that the need for the ballroom became more urgent after a man with a gun tried to break into a gala press dinner he was attending in April.