Trump Says $400 Million White House Ballroom Is ‘on Budget and Ahead of Schedule’ as He Reveals New Renderings

President Donald Trump posted an update on the $400 million White House ballroom project on Truth Social on Tuesday.

Trump said the ballroom is "on budget and ahead of schedule" and shared two new renderings showing the massive building with columns and grand steps on the side facing away from the White House.

The president wrote, "It will be the finest Ballroom ever built anywhere in the World, one that has been sought by Presidents for over 150 years—and now they are getting THE BEST!"

He went on to say, "Because of its unprecedented structural safety, and security features, it will also be used for future Presidential Inaugurations."

It was a week ago when Trump shared the first ballroom rendering on his Truth Social account. It was the public's first look at the finalized design for the 90,000 square foot project.

In that post, Trump said the new ballroom replaces a "very small, dilapidated, and rebuilt many times" part of the building.

"Being an identical height and scale, it is totally in keeping with our historic White House," Trump said in the Truth Social post, also adding, "This space will serve our Country well for, hopefully, Centuries into the future!"

Construction critics

The ballroom site is where the East Wing used to stand. It was demolished in October to the dismay of many critics.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States filed a lawsuit trying to halt construction but in December 2025, a federal judge said construction could continue.

Though Trump said the $400 million ballroom project is under budget, it's nearly double that of its original price tag when he first proposed the project.

The cost has ballooned from $200 million to $300 million, and now, to $400 million. The White House said it is being funded by private donors. The president says it's needed to host state dinners for a larger crowd. The former ballroom sat only about 200 people. The new ballroom is expected to hold nearly 1,000.

James McCrery II, the project’s original architect—replaced in December by architect Shalom Baranes—reportedly raised serious concerns that the completed 90,000-square-foot ballroom would overshadow the 55,000-square-foot White House.

During the January planning commission meeting, Baranes told the panel, “I did mention the potential for a future addition, a one-story addition to the West Wing." He said it would “reinstate symmetry along the central pavilion of the White House.”

During an interview with The New York Times, Trump said he wants to build a second level on top of the colonnade that connects the West Wing to the White House residence. He said he's calling the project the "Upper West Wing" and that it's currently under design.