“This is Greek… more or less… it comes out of Greece… this is the ultimate facade for Greece.” Donald Trump is wielding a blown-up graphical rendering of one of the planned porticos of the new White House ballroom. “This is a different facade,” he says, pointing to another placard propped up on an easel, “This one’s Rome.”

The President spent the morning touring the ballroom’s construction site with the press. Currently a forest of rebar and metal prongs, the project has now burst its bounds and is developing into a general fortress-cum-lair. A vast underground complex is to be built below the ballroom, housing a hospital, research facilities and meeting rooms for the military. The roof of the complex will feature a “drone port” that can stash, according to Trump, “unlimited numbers of drones.” Ventilation shafts will be fortified against potential intruders, and all of the windows will be made of four-inch bulletproof glass. “What happened a couple weeks ago at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner could not happen here.”

Who will pay for it? “This is all my money and donors’ money. This is tax free,” said Trump. Yet it seems like the congressional GOP has other ideas. A $1 billion bill to fund the ballroom is currently before the Senate, but there is a snag: the Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough deems the measure a funding bill that requires 60 votes to pass. The Senate GOP has but 53.

Meanwhile, the real-estate development feels like a........

© The Spectator