The ballroom, whose price tag is now estimated at USD 250 million, is the most significant renovation that Trump, a former real estate mogul, is undertaking during his second term at the White House
All four sides of the ballroom -- which Trump said will be large and grand enough to hold even a presidential inauguration -- will be made of bulletproof glass, with its colour, window shape and molding keeping in character with the White House. Trump indicated that the fundraising and managing costs for the "phenomenal" ballroom were going well, predicting that he would have money left over after the project is done
"To me, there is nothing like the White House," Trump said, later adding, "It is just a special place so we have to take care of it"
Men in business suits and women in cocktail attire sat at a dozen round tables, decorated with tall, tapered candles and white floral arrangements, and sipped wine and water as they awaited their dinner to be served on gold-trimmed plates. Later, they would dine on an heirloom tomato panzanella salad, beef Wellington and a dessert of roasted Anjou pears, cinnamon crumble and butterscotch ice cream
Oil billionaire Harold Hamm, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, Small Business Administration chief Kelly Loeffler and her husband, Jeff Sprecher, and crypto entrepreneurs Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss were all on the guest list. The list of attendees was first reported by The Wall Street Journal
Also attending the dinner were Chris LaCivita, Trump's co-campaign manager from his 2024 reelection bid, Reince Priebus, a White House chief of staff during Trump's first term, and Jason Miller, another longtime political adviser
The new ballroom is planned for the area where the East Wing is located and will encompass 90,000 square feet. The White House has previously said it will have a 650-person capacity, but Trump on Wednesday night said it will be able to hold up to 999 people
The ballroom project has yet to receive approvals from the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, although White House staff secretary Will Scharf, who was also tapped by Trump to lead the planning commission, says approval is not needed. The commission vets construction of federal buildings
At the dinner, Trump said there are no zoning requirements for him as the president of the United States and he can do whatever he wants with the construction
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