Watch King Charles joke about Trump’s ballroom project
King Charles III joked about President Donald Trump’s new ballroom during a state dinner.
President Donald Trump gave an impromptu tour of the $400 million ballroom project at the White House on May 19, speaking with a massive excavation site in the background and construction noises in the background. The move comes days after Senate officials blocked Republican efforts to fast-track a proposed $1 billion budget item for the Secret Service to strengthen security related to the project.
It was the ultimate backdrop for a president who considers himself a construction chief. The only thing missing was a helmet.
Throughout his presentation, the president held up various renderings of the ballroom while revealing new details about the 90,000-square-foot project, which includes a military complex that includes a research center and military hospital.
“They’re building a military hospital. They’re building all kinds of research facilities. They’re also building conference rooms with banquet halls and rooms that are linked to the military,” he said. “And the ballroom is actually a shield, protecting everything that’s being built here.”
He talked about two facades. One is inspired by ancient Greece and the other is inspired by Rome. He said the structure could also withstand drones and missiles.
President Trump has said the ballroom is funded by himself and donors, including U.S. companies, but his administration supports a Senate Republican bill that calls for $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to improve security. The cost of the ballroom itself has doubled since it was announced last July, from $200 million to $400 million.
Sen. Elizabeth McDonough announced on May 16 that increased security at banquet halls added to the Republican immigration enforcement bill would require a 60-vote threshold to pass, rather than a simple majority.
The bill states that the funds will be used for “security adjustments and upgrades, including on the White House grounds, in support of enhancements by the U.S. Secret Service related to the East Wing Modernization Project, including above-ground and below-ground security features.”
The project is the subject of various court actions, including a federal judge’s injunction blocking construction until it receives “express approval from Congress.” The decision was stayed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and oral argument in the case was set for June 5.
“This is a gift. The taxpayers are not paying for it. The fact that we have a judge who thinks this is a terrible thing means we are making a gift,” Trump said. “He said it was a terrible thing for us to give gifts. The cost should be paid for by the taxpayers. That’s something I’ve never heard before.”
The Trump administration argued that construction of the entire banquet hall must proceed, otherwise the presidential palace would “remain open” and pose “significant national security harm” to the building, the president, his family, and staff.
Trump also listed “air raid shelters, state-of-the-art hospitals and medical facilities, protected compartments, top-secret military facilities, structures and equipment, protective missile-resistant steel, columns, roofs, beams, drone-proof ceilings and roofs, military-grade vents, ballistic, ballistic, and blast-proof glass” in an April Truth Social post that he said would be part of the project.
Contributor: Joey Garrison
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent. You can follow her at X @SwapnaVenugopal..
