Republicans now plan for taxpayers to fund Trumps $400 million ballroom which he promised to cover with private donation

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Monday 27 April 2026 23:27 EDT


In the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, top Republicans want to use $400 million in taxpayer funds on President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, arguing the new building is vital for national security. This comes despite past promises from the president the ballroom would be entirely funded by private donations.

“It’s very difficult to have a bunch of important people in the same place unless it’s really, really secure,” Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Monday. “The times in which we live are unusual. I’ve been up here for a while now. I’ve never felt the sense of threat that exists today.”

Graham and his GOP colleagues Sen. Eric Schmitt and Sen. Katie Britt are pushing a bill to fund the ballroom and offset costs by using customs and national parks user fees. The proposal includes building new military and Secret Service infrastructure within the ballroom complex.

Graham said the White House supports his effort, despite the president’s frequent claims that he and private donors were personally funding the entire ballroom project. The White House has previously said major tech corporations, including those that do business with the federal government and donated to Trump’s inauguration, have committed millions to funding the ballroom. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/taxpayer-fund-trump-ballroom-correspondents-dinner-shooting-b2966078.html

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Full headline: Republicans now plan for taxpayers to fund Trump’s $400 million ballroom which he promised to cover with private donations


What happened to the "all paid for by private donations"?

Why does the media keep giving anyone in this administration the benefit of the doubt? They do nothing but help to hasten the destruction of our democracy.

[Hugin]

1. The ball room...

Which I have taken to calling Scrote One, is the new wall grift. Next up is how the Iranians are going to pay for the Arch.

[GB_RN]

2. Ummm...

Yeah…No. Just. No.

[travelingthrulife]

12. He will have that place bugged to the hilt. No way it will be secure.

He works for Putin.

[Stargazer99]

3. Did not Trump say the rich would pay for

the ball room? Taxpayers how do you like being lied to? Suckers and losers!

[MissouriDem47]

4. Of Course

As many has predicted that was the plan all along. What is surprising is that anyone believed their lies from the start, that it would be done by donations.

[brer cat]

5. Since he always lies, we should have known it would

not be paid by donations. F$#k them! Kids are hungry, millions can't afford health coverage and apparently that is ok as long as the big baby gets a new play ground.

[walkingman]

6. "Important people"....not what I would call them. ☮

[chouchou]

8. I was thinking a batch of Low IQ Clowns...

[LeftInTX]

7. Trump's bawl room...not ballroom...cry baby

Say no to Trump's bawl room...

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Or "brawl room"

where periodically, they clear out the tables and chairs and setup a wrestling ring for live performances in a "smaller venue" than the "main tacky-ass one that is planned -

[Magoo48]

34. Gaudy, gold Dime-a-dancehall.

[Baitball Blogger]

9. First, there was the border wall that Mexico was going to pay for.

Then there was the fees to pass through the Strait of Hormuz that Iran was going to share with us.

Now the ballroom, that the American taxpayer is going to pay for.

I am sure there are others. This is the way the man thinks. And this is why right-wingers love him. He thinks big, talks big and when it all turns to shit, just blame the Democrats.

[twodogsbarking]

10. Epstein did not off himself.

[travelingthrulife]

11. This was the whole plan of that charade.

Now we're stuck with this waste of money. And given Republicans an excellent option to build a secure space riddled with bugs and cameras.

Putin loves his little boy.

[Bayard]

20. Exactly

This has to be planned by Miller. trump isn't smart enough. Not only has he been lying about his pet project ballroom, this just proves that the, "assassination attempt," was a charade, so rethuglicans would clamor for the all-expenses paid golden palace.

[Hope22]

29. Lawrence O'Donnell had a good article last night

The topic was that the shelter that is supposedly being built under the ballroom is completely against protocol for Presidential safety. What is there currently works appropriately for the intended short term to safety of president and staff and then removing them swiftly and secretly to another location. The absurdity of a large staffed hospital and permanent bunker, to say nothing of the announcing the location to the world was also a concern! All of these seem like common sense which makes me think the entire project will be a pre paid grift that will never amount to anything but an eyesore.

[Mr.Bee]

13. Sure YOU're Going To Pay For It!

and his renovation of the Kennedy Center
and his coating of the reflection pool,
and his Arch,

No money for government run healthcare,
No money for Social Security,
No money for Social Safety Net,
but millions for billionaires.
and stuff we never asked for,
that's important.

[patphil]

15. So where did the donations go?

I would say that, either the money donated to build the ballroom has been pocketed by Trump, or there weren't many donations coming in, and the ballroom lacked the funds to complete it.
So the republicans will take $400 million of taxpayer money to complete a project that is totally unnecessary, and should never have been started.
We have a hole where the East Wing used to be. How much would it take to terminate the project, do site cleanup, and restore the East Wing?

[YodaMom2]

21. The money that's already been "donated" for his stupid f*cking ballroom

will end up in the same place as the millions “donated” for his library - in some secret accounts in Qatar or the Caymans. He always intended to keep it for himself. And you can bet the price tag for this monstrosity has been hugely inflated so he can skim off millions from that, too.

[underpants]

26. I think you're exactly right.

[RockCreek]

31. Cleanup and of the East Wing destruction by Trump

And restoration of the East Wing should be out of Trump's personal wallet.

[Solly Mack]

16. I don't want to pay to keep those self-styled important people safe. Look at everything they do to kill us

with deregulations, cuts to safety nets, lack of actual healthcare for all, killing off science and medical research, vaccines, and watchdog boards of all kinds. Nothing to help prevent gun violence except thoughts and prayers.

Fuck'em. Let them play by the same odds they expect us to play by.

[Martin68]

17. NO!

[Bengus81]

18. As usual...Trump grifts and WE pay. I am like so shocked

Funny...Trump has said over and over he already had enough to pay for the ballroom.

[OGBuzz]

24. He will pocket the donated money. There's only so much time left to...

make the Trump family dream come true.

Rep. Jamie Raskin noted in April 2026 that a Republican colleague was told by a Trump family member, "We are going to be the RICHEST FAMILY on earth when this administration is over".

[purr-rat beauty]

19. The Real Welfare Queens

Not a single soul signed off on the destruction of the White House and premises for this proposed monstrosity

Also give us the list of "donors" that supposedly motivated him. They deserve a reckoning.

Fuck ALL OF THEM

[littlemissmartypants]

22. Those donations are long gone. Time for another grift.

[sakabatou]

23. Repukes screwing the People?!

*pretends to be shocked*

[pansypoo53219]

25. keep digging. just magat voters in november should be pretty blue.

[underpants]

27. Ballroom seating capacity 999 - attendees at WHCD 2,600

The proposed ballroom couldn't have hosted this event.


The event attracted approximately 2,600 attendees, including senior administration officials

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_White_House_Correspondents%27_Dinner_shooting

AI Overview
As of April 2026, the proposed new White House State Ballroom is designed to hold 999 people for a seated dinner. Plans for this structure, which is replacing the East Wing, have increased in capacity from an initial 650 guests to 999, intended for large-scale events and potential inaugurations

[republianmushroom]

28. Damn, maybe better luck next time.

[ToxMarz]

30. On day one of the Democratic President's inauguration he/she must have that fucking ballroom demolished

Which will be a problem if it is paid for with taxpayer money. Aside from stealing all the "private donations", I wonder if that is part of the calculation.

[WiVoter]

32. Could This Be Stopped If The Midterms Go Well?

If so, I think it'd be a good idea for these clowns stop now, so the restoring the East Wing would be easier and less expensive than tearing the "ballroom" down and rebuilding.
Hitler had his "Edifice Complex," so does the MFKR, pedophile, insurrectionist, fascist, racist, election denier, rapist, felon in the White House.

"Many of Adolf Hitler’s planned monumental buildings, designed by Albert Speer, were cancelled or destroyed, including the immense Volkshalle (never built) and the heavily damaged New Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker, which were razed by the Soviets. Most Nazi monuments, such as the Germania project, were rejected due to the war's outcome, and others were intentionally removed. "

[BumRushDaShow]

35. If Dems take one or both chambers

we can finally do some real oversight and possibly file lawsuits regarding unauthorized/misuse of government funding (if they can show they (Congress) have standing and are being "harmed" by the Executive branch's actions).

Any referrals to DOJ would be meaningless and ignored in any case.

[kacekwl]

33. Who's surprised ?

Anyone, anyone ?

[twodogsbarking]

36. So Mexico will not be paying for it? Are we sending troops? Is Mexico making a nuclear bomb?

[republianmushroom]

37. From the Washington Post today

Opinion
Jim Geraghty
Excerpts....
In addition to Trump, senators such as Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) have urged that the dinner take place in the ballroom when construction is complete, and so has Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania). Fans of the ballroom will ask: If the event is put on by a group of White House correspondents, why not have it at the actual White House?

This is a bad idea, for several reasons.

First, in a typical year for the WHCA dinner, attendance runs up to 2,600, a number the ballroom at the Washington Hilton can accommodate. The White House ballroom under construction was initially said to seat 650 people, but in October, Trump said the room would be able to seat 999 attendees. Attendance at the WHCA dinner would have to be cut by more 60 percent if the capacity is on the high end of the estimate, by three-quarters if it is at the low end.

Second, the White House Correspondents’ Association is a private organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Yes, for private events, the federal government can rent out certain spaces, such as the National Archives or some of the Smithsonian museums. (The Smithsonian event policy bars “partisan political events, product sales, religious and civil ceremonies ... gambling, and ticketed events by for-profit entities.”) But the White House has never been rented out for private events (and while the Clinton administration’s use of the Lincoln Bedroom as a thank-you for donors may have sounded like renting it out, that doesn’t count). Once you open the door to the White House ballroom to one organization, all kinds of organizations will want the same deal.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/28/why-trumps-ballroom-cant-host-white-house-correspondents-dinner/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter

[RainCaster]

38. The question the GOP doesn't want asked- Where did all that money go?

Tell us, Lindsey, where did all that $400million go that was collected for this big-ass ugly building?

Why can't we see the funds deposited as we were assured?

Did your Cantaloupe Caligula steal that money already?
Asking for America

[maxsolomon]

39. They can stick the 400 million into the Reconciliation Bill they're cooking up

to fund ICE for 3 years without oversight.

Not a damn thing Dems can do to stop it.

MFer will just stop bragging about it and leave the "paid by donations" lie hanging out there.

[Quanto Magnus]

40. This is an opportunity

for Emperor Shitsinpants to pocket the bribes... errrr 'donations'......

[Bengus81]

41. Then Congress needs to vote to fund it. Let's see how that goes before November

[BumRushDaShow]

42. That's why you suddenly see the GOP cabinet and congressional chorus

now trying to justify the switch to federal funding. They are using the pretext of using what happened miles north of the WH, to apply to and justify this boondoggle for "security" (in quotes).

[LetMyPeopleVote]

43. White House officials said that the legislation would authorize the entire project -- including the aboveground ballroom

Senate Republicans maintain their proposal would authorize security construction, but not Trump’s ballroom. The White House disagrees.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/05/senate-budget-bill-trump-ballroom

Senate Republicans late Monday proposed $1 billion to pay for new White House security measures, with lawmakers and White House officials disagreeing over whether the legislation would cover President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom.

The proposed legislative text says the money would be used for both aboveground and underground security features that the administration has declined to fully detail. The text explicitly says the money could not be used for “non-security elements” of the project, a reference to Trump’s planned ballroom.....

White House officials said Tuesday that the legislation, if enacted, would authorize the entire project — including the aboveground ballroom.

“Congress has rightly recognized the need for these funds,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement, citing the high-profile incident last month when a gunman stormed through the security checkpoint outside the White House correspondents’ dinner. “The proposal would provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.”.....

Trump has argued that the ballroom itself is a needed national security measure so he and future presidents can safely entertain VIP guests, a message increasingly echoed by his allies in Congress after last month’s incident. Justice Department officials last week asked Leon to dissolve his order blocking construction, citing the shooting at the correspondents’ dinner in a rambling legal filing that read like one of Trump’s Truth Social posts.....

Democrats argued Tuesday that the proposal illustrates that Republicans are out of touch with voters’ needs, highlighting the broadly unpopular ballroom. Fifty-six percent of Americans oppose Trump’s decision to tear down the White House’s East Wing to make way for his planned ballroom, funded by about $400 million in private donations, while 28 percent support the project, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted last month.

trump will use the $1 billion for the entire project including the aboveground ballroom. There will be no funding by private donations.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

44. Trump admin's official position is that almost EVERYTHING in the ballroom is security-related.

trump wants US taxpayers to pay the entire cost of the ballroom

Link to tweet

The reconciliation bill says that Trump can’t spend the $1 billion they gave him for the ballroom on “non-security” features.

But the Trump admin’s official position is that almost EVERYTHING in the ballroom — from the walls to the columns to the ceiling — is security-related.