U.S. President Donald Trump has been mentioning the White House ballroom construction project almost every other day, pouring in attention on par with major policies.
On the 19th, the Washington Post (WP) criticized President Trump for showing an almost obsessive interest in a project to build a large banquet hall inside the White House.
The project is a roughly $400 million (589.24 billion won) White House expansion, centered on building a large banquet hall of about 8,000 square meters that can accommodate about 1,000 people. As for the reason for the expansion, President Trump has argued that a new banquet hall is an essential facility for hosting VIPs. To that end, demolition has already begun on the East Wing of the White House, which has historical value. The project is currently being pushed with the goal of completion within President Trump's term.
According to the WP, President Trump has continued to stress the need to improve White House facilities to receive distinguished guests, based on experience from his days as a real estate developer. Recently, he has repeatedly brought up the ballroom expansion in various settings, including on his private jet, in diplomatic meetings, and at White House events, and even joked during a speech that he would go see the construction site. He also said the White House ballroom is a "patriotic gift for future presidents and the people," while noting he would "hardly be able to use it due to a lack of time" even if it is completed, expressing regret.
But the White House expansion project being pushed by the Trump administration is raising several concerns. A U.S. court has already put the brakes on it, saying the project has not been approved by Congress. On the 17th, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said, "To circumvent the court order that the president must obtain congressional approval, the plan to build the banquet hall was reclassified as essential to national security," adding, "National security is not a blank check to force through illegal activity." In response, President Trump targeted Judge Leon on Truth Social, saying multiple times, "The banquet hall is needed right now. No judge should be allowed to stop this."
Democrats are also criticizing the ballroom expansion project. The Democratic Party has labeled the project a case of "misplaced priorities" and is using it as a midterm election attack point. Rep. Jared Huffman criticized, saying, "Trump and some Republican lawmakers are prioritizing Gatsby-style parties."
The WP also noted that public opinion is negative about the project. In a poll conducted by the Economist/YouGov in February, 58% of Americans opposed the plan to build a new ballroom after demolishing the East Wing of the White House. Those in favor came to 25%. Aides were also said to have advised the president to focus on kitchen-table issues such as health care costs ahead of the midterm elections.
Meanwhile, the White House pushed back against the criticism, saying the expansion is being pursued through private donations and "will proceed without taxpayer burden."