Trump’s supposedly private-funded ballroom could cost US taxpayers $1bn | US News

Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, which he said would be privately funded, could now cost the US taxpayer as much as $1bn.

Republicans in the Senate have added the figure to proposed legislation that would fund “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project.

The move comes after a man was charged with trying to assassinate the US president at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last week.

Mr Trump previously said that the ballroom, with a proposed cost of $400m, would be completely funded by private individuals, presenting the 90,000sq ft event space in the White House as a gift to the country.

“This is a GIFT (ZERO taxpayer funding!) to the United States of America, of 300 to 400 Million Dollars (depending on the scope and quality of interior finishes!), for a desperately needed space,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in January.

He also told reporters in the Oval Office in November: “And by the way, no government funds. These are all private individuals that put up a lot of money to build the ballroom. Not one penny is being used from the federal government.”

But the new measures mean that the security arrangements around what the White House officially calls the East Wing Modernization Project, could cost the taxpayer £1bn.

Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal told Sky News’ US partner network NBC: “This has been a bait and switch: promising it would be privately funded and now, apparently, taxpayers will be on the hook for it.”

Democrats oppose public spending on ballroom

Fellow Democrat Chris Coons said: “This is tragically another example of President Trump promising one thing and doing another – of saying he was going to do something great for the American people and instead demolishing the historic East Wing without any serious consultation or public input. And now we discover the total cost is going to be well more than $1bn.”

“And I’ve had no briefing that gives me any insight into what could possibly cost $1 billion extra dollars,” Coons added.

Republican Senator Kevin Cramer has defended the project, referencing assassination attempts against Trump. “I guess as long as liberals insist on shooting presidents, it will take a lot of resources to protect presidents,” he said. “I’m fine with it.”

Some Republicans are even suggesting that public money should be used to pay for the whole project, as the security breach at the correspondents’ dinner shows the president needs a secure place to host events.

Holding the dinner at a hotel again after Cole Tomas Allen allegedly stormed the media dinner at the Washington Hilton with guns and knives on 25 April “would be insane”, according to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who introduced a bill to pay for the ballroom’s construction with fellow Republican Katie Britt.

Democrats have said they will oppose any efforts to pay for the ballroom and plan to force a vote to try to strip the $1bn out of the bill when it comes to the Senate floor later this month.

While the National Trust for Historic Preservation is suing to block construction of the project, a federal appeals court said last month that it can continue in the meantime.

It is unclear how exactly the $1bn dedicated to the ballroom’s security would be used.

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The bill says the money would support enhancements to the ballroom project, “including above-ground and below-ground security features,” but also specifies that the money may not be used for non-security elements.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle praised Republicans for including the money for the “long-overdue” project, saying it would “provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.”