President Donald Trump has just shot down rumors that he’s slapping his name on a shiny new $300 million White House ballroom, as ABC News reports.
Addressing reporters on Friday evening as he prepared for a trip to Asia, Trump tackled swirling speculation about the naming of the massive 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House, while also shedding light on the project’s funding and potential surplus uses.
Let’s rewind a bit—new images released on Thursday revealed the East Wing of the White House was completely torn down to accommodate this grand ballroom.
Before Trump’s latest comments, whispers within the administration had already dubbed the space “The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom,” according to senior officials speaking to ABC News.
Even a donor list provided by the White House to ABC News bore that same self-referential title, fueling speculation that Trump, known for branding his projects with his name, might follow suit here.
Yet, when pressed on Friday, the president pushed back hard against the idea, suggesting the media had spun a tall tale.
“I don't have any plan to call it after myself. That was fake news,” Trump told reporters, as quoted by ABC News, before adding, “Probably going to call it the presidential ballroom or something like that.”
Well, there you have it—a rare moment of modesty, or at least a sidestep from the branding we’ve come to expect. One wonders if the progressive crowd, always eager to paint Trump as self-obsessed, will grudgingly tip their hats to this restraint.
Trump also noted that a name hasn’t been finalized, leaving room for speculation, but his dismissal of the rumor feels like a deliberate jab at overzealous critics.
Now, let’s talk dollars—because this project isn’t cheap. A White House official confirmed to ABC News that a staggering $350 million has been raised through donations for the ballroom, with construction costs pegged at $300 million.
That leaves a cool $50 million surplus, and Trump floated an eyebrow-raising idea on Friday night: using the extra cash to build a triumphal arch, inspired by Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, just outside Washington. If that doesn’t scream “make America grand again,” what does?
While some might scoff at such an ambitious side project, it’s hard not to admire the vision of celebrating national pride with a monument that rivals Europe’s best—without dipping into taxpayer pockets.
Adding to the intrigue, an unnamed White House official told ABC News the president “has received such positive and overwhelming support for the ballroom that he continues to receive donations.”
That kind of backing speaks volumes in an era where every Trump move gets dissected by the left-leaning media machine. It’s a reminder that plenty of Americans still rally behind bold projects that elevate our nation’s capital, even if the chattering class calls it vanity.
So, where does this leave us? While Trump’s denial of naming the ballroom after himself cools the controversy, the sheer scale of this $300 million project—coupled with surplus funds and monumental ideas—ensures the story won’t fade quietly. Here’s hoping the final name reflects the dignity of the office, not the noise of partisan sniping.
