President Donald Trump posted a cryptic message on social media over the weekend after a breakdown occurred at the 90,000-square-foot ballroom under construction at the White House.
“As long as we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right,” President Trump wrote in a cryptic post about the project on Sunday, Nov. 30.
The post on Truth Social echoes President Trump’s previous claims that the massive ballroom is funded by private donations.
“The Presidential Ballroom that I am building at the White House with all my private donations and funds (at zero cost to American taxpayers!) will be the most beautiful and spectacular ballroom in the world,” Trump wrote.
The sudden demolition of the east wing on October 20 to make way for President Trump’s envisioned ballroom came as a surprise to many., It has raised concerns from preservationists, critics and a small number of former residents, including former first lady Hillary Clinton.
President Trump wrote that the super-sized ballroom is “something that has been needed and desired in the White House for over 150 years, but no other president has been able to do it. It will be a great addition to the White House. The most significant since the construction of the West Wing!”
Who was the architect of the White House Ballroom?
James McCreary II, whom the president hired as the project’s chief architect, said the demonstrations and construction could “shrink” the 55,000-square-foot executive mansion, The Washington Post reported.
In July, the newspaper reported that Mr. McCreary “advised restraint of concern” and produced renderings of a gilded, cavernous ballroom, claiming that its construction violated “general architectural rules: No extension shall be constructed over the main building.”
Additionally, USA TODAY previously reported that preservationists have warned that the size and scope of the project could “overwhelm the presidential palace itself.”
Despite their disagreements, McCreary will remain the lead consultant on the project, a White House official told USA TODAY on condition of anonymity on Nov. 26.
“As with any building, conversations will take place between principals and architects. All involved are excited to realize the president’s vision for what will be the largest addition to the White House since the Oval Office,” officials said.
Contributor: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund
