President Donald Trump thinks the White House could use a “bigger room” and revealed he wants to add a ballroom like the one he has in his Florida home.
The president remarked on the Mar-a-Lago ballroom as he reacted to the “packed” space in the White House’s East Room where he signed an executive order banning biological males from competing in women’s sports.
“This room is packed,” Trump said as he surveyed the room on Wednesday.
Trump says he offered to build a ballroom in The White House for 100 million but never heard back from The Biden Administration. He then says he will try to make the offer to himself that he suggests he’ll pay for: We’ll see if Trump will approve it pic.twitter.com/EUazuRDm6Y
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 5, 2025
“You know I offered to build a ballroom,” he continued. “I’m very good at building ballrooms. I build beautiful ballrooms. And I actually offered to build a ballroom for the White House.”
“And then I was going to build a beautiful, beautiful ballroom like I have at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump told the gathered guests. “It was going to be as beautiful as it can be.”
He recounted the idea for his vision of the East Room as the reception area leading into the proposed ballroom that would cost $100 million dollars to build.
“I offered to do it. And I never heard back. I offered this – I offered to do it for the Biden administration,” Trump said.
However, a former senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration told the Daily Mail that Trump “never” made the pitch to his predecessor.
“At just under 3,000 square feet, the East Room is the biggest of the State Rooms and the only one that runs the entire width of the executive mansion,” USA Today noted. “It was designed by James Hoban and George Washington to be a ‘Public Audience Room’ according to the White House Historical Association. It’s where dances, receptions, concerts, and press conferences are held.”
The ballroom at Mar-a-Lago is reportedly 20,000 square feet.
“They just didn’t know what to do. They sort of said, ‘this is good’ but they had no idea,” Trump said, referring to the several times he pitched the idea.
“So I’m going to try and make the offer to myself,” he added to audience laughter.
“You know? Because we could use a bigger room. We could use a bigger room. ‘Mr. President, would you like to build? “Yeah I would,”‘ Trump joked as he gave a mock conversation with himself.
“It would cost nothing,” the president added “I’ll spend the whole thing myself and we’ll do a big, beautiful room, but we could use it at the White House.”
“You know what they do when they have a big ceremony?” he asked, noting his dislike for entertaining foreign dignitaries in tents. “Somehow I think we’ve outgrown the tent stuff, don’t you think?”
According to the White House Historical Society, Congress is responsible for the funds for furnishing and repairs of the White House and its grounds. In addition, every incoming president is allotted $100,000 to remodel the private residence and the Oval Office.
“The National Mall and the White House grounds… it’s sacred ground,” historian Douglas Brinkley said. “To allow this to get permitted, it’s tough.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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