Donald Trump Is Building a $250 Million Ballroom for the White House — What Is the Need?

Construction on President Donald Trump's $250 million ballroom got underway on Oct. 20, 2025, and voters want to know why the White House needs a ballroom.

According to NPR, construction began on the East Wing of the White House without construction approval from the appropriate federal agency. Trump announced the construction had begun with a post on social media.

"We have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically," he said. It just started today." So, why does the White House need a ballroom?

According to the Trump Administration, the White House needs a ballroom to accommodate guests for state dinners, which are currently held in the East Room and can reportedly only accommodate 200 people, per the White House. The new ballroom will be approximately 90,000 square feet and will accommodate 650 people. McCrery Architects is leading the ballroom construction project, and the company's CEO, Jim McCrery, said he was "honored" to be chosen for the renovation.

"Presidents in the modern era have faced challenges hosting major events at the White House because it has been untouched since President Harry Truman," he said. "I am honored that President Trump has entrusted me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renovation to The People’s House, while preserving the elegance of its classical design and historical importance."

According to the BBC, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the money for the White House ballroom is being donated by Trump and anonymous donors. The press secretary said the renovation was a "much-needed and exquisite addition" to the White House.

Leslie Greene Bowman was on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House and served under four presidents, and she told the outlet that she hoped the changes would "honor and preserve" the existing walls of the structure.

"The White House has a history of expansion to accommodate the changing needs of the nation's chief executive," she said. "I hope and trust that any proposed changes will honor and preserve the existing walls that have witnessed so much history. They are precious vessels of our legacy as a democracy."

Trump has reportedly wanted to have the ballroom built since before his first term as president. According to The Hill, not everyone is pleased about the president's efforts, including former First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

“It’s not his house. It’s your house," she said on X. "And he’s destroying it."

The president has also transformed the Oval Office by adding gold trim to the crown molding, similar to his penthouse in Trump Towers.

Trump boasted about the new ballroom on Truth Social on Oct. 20. "I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom," he wrote. "Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!"

"For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc," he claimed. "I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come! President DJT."