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Where the Hell Did Trump Get This $70 Million for His Ballroom?

11 0
12.08.2026

Where the Hell Did Trump Get This $70 Million for His Ballroom?

Donald Trump is planning to spend at least $900 million ripping up the White House and its grounds. A chunk of that money has no identified source.

President Donald Trump is sneakily spending close to a billion dollars on White House renovations using mostly taxpayer funds, making an end run around Congress and public disclosure. 

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Trump administration pulled money from other government agencies and private donors, and then steered that cash into an account that usually holds a few million dollars for routine White House maintenance, known as “White House Repair and Restoration.” 

But since Trump took office last year, the administration has funneled $875 million to that account. That money consists of transfers from the U.S. Secret Service and the White House Military Office of about $500 million, with $305 billion from private donations. Another $70 million was also directed to the account, according to documents reviewed by the Post, but the source isn’t identified.  

In all, Trump plans to spend at least $900 million on “modernization projects” on White House grounds, including a helipad, improvements to Lafayette Square, a new visitor screening center, and the White House ballroom that was ruled illegal in federal court last week, with Trump planning to appeal. 

Trump’s ballroom was estimated to cost $600 million (up from $200 million when he first announced the project). Taxpayers will pay for about half of that latest figure, contradicting the president’s promise that the vast majority of it would be paid for by private donations. 

All of this is unprecedented, as in previous administrations, requests for White House renovations were submitted as requests to Congress and then put through the appropriations process before agencies sought approvals and hired contractors. But Trump seems more preoccupied with construction and redevelopment projects in his second term as president than he is with the daily business of leading the country. He regularly falls asleep during important meetings and ceremonies, but musters up excitement to check on his various pet projects. 

Trump Insists His Secret Flight Was Way More Dangerous Than the Decoy

Yeah, the flight that literally no one knew about was definitely in the crosshairs.

President Donald Trump wants to pretend that his plane-switching ruse didn’t leave members of the press vulnerable to an attack from Iran.

While speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday night, the president faced a tough question about his plane-swapping farce.

“Why was it too dangerous for you to fly on Air Force One, but not too dangerous for the press?” one reporter asked.

“Well, I don’t know. I think actually, the plane that I flew on was at greater risk. I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane that they would be more........

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