Trump showcases White House ballroom project amid post‑midterm gloom
President Donald Trump toured the under‑construction White House ballroom, bragging about its size, design and cost while avoiding discussion of the recent election losses.
Trump’s surprise press event at the White House
In the wake of a “brutal hangover” for Republicans after the midterms, President Donald Trump held a press conference inside the skeletal frame of a new White House ballroom.
“It’s going to be not only one of the biggest, but it’ll be the most beautiful ballroom I think anywhere in the world,” Trump told reporters, standing before a large American flag.
Architectural bragging rights
Trump announced he was signing the final steel beam for the roof of a project he described as his “$400 million pride and joy.” He then launched into a 16‑minute monologue covering chandeliers, marble, kitchen layouts and drones.
“Now envision chandeliers all over the ceiling,” he said, adding that the marble floors would come from a vein “people have been after for 50 years,” and that the quarry owner “liked me.”
He claimed the ballroom’s columns would be carved from “beautiful limestone” in a Corinthian style he called “the creme de la creme,” and that they would dwarf those of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Roof capacity and foreign admiration
Trump noted the roof could support “up to 100 drones, or a number of helicopters,” and asserted that Chinese President Xi had admired the structure during a September White House visit.
Political context and questions
Reporters asked about governing with Democrats now controlling both the House and Senate. Trump responded that the country is “more successful right now than at any time in its history,” and warned against a “third” impeachment attempt.
He also referenced Vice President JD Vance’s claim that the Iran war was “the reason we lost,” conceding it was “largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term.”
Interior Secretary’s remarks and the ending
After Trump’s tour, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum spoke, calling the day a day of celebration, and a day of gratitude, a day after Democrats seized both chambers of Congress.
When the press finally got a chance to question the president, he remained “remarkably sanguine” about the election results, pointing to the rising beam and urging reporters to “watch the beam go up.”
