Donald Trump admitted that his ballroom vanity project is a “monument” to himself, seeing as he can’t imagine getting one any other way.
The president reportedly shared his ego-driven confession to Jesse Watters, who went on to describe the interaction during a speech at the Turning Point USA AmericaFest event on Saturday.
“So he brings us over to the executive room and he sits down and we’re having, like, Mexican food. And he goes, ‘Jesse, do you want to see the rendition of the big beautiful ballroom?’ I said, ‘Sure, let me see it,’” Jesse, 47, began during a meandering anecdote about being on Air Force One.
“He rolls the whole thing out, and guys, I don’t know if you know this, the ballroom is huge. I said, ‘Mr. President, the ballroom is four times the size of the White House.’
The Fox News host then delivered Trump’s admission as a punchline: “He said, ‘Jesse, it’s a monument. I’m building a monument to myself because no one else will’.”
When reached for comment about Watters’ remarks, the White House told the Daily Beast that Trump is “working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense.”
“These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
Critics have long suspected that Trump’s controversial ballroom is part of his ongoing desire to franchise himself within politics, joining changes such as the Kennedy Center renaming.
It seems to be his most ambitious project yet, with the president this week revealing that its price tag has ballooned up to $400 million from its original $200 million allowance.
The bill is being footed by a range of corporate donors, including Microsoft, Caterpillar, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, and Comcast, many of which have some form of private contract with the government.
Trump, 79, had the East Wing demolished in October in order to make room for his “monument,” but still hasn’t officially submitted plans for the project he’s already started work on.
The National Trust Preservation Committee has questioned the president’s right to go ahead with building the ballroom without independent reviews. The legal drama has resulted in a much clearer idea of what exactly $400 million is going toward.
It seems that alongside the 90,000-square-foot ballroom—which will dwarf the main White House building—plans include a new multi-level colonnade, a passageway between the ballroom and the executive residence, a visitor entrance, bedrooms, offices, and “monumental stairs” leading to the main attraction.
Trump plans to have the ballroom-turned-monument completed by 2029, which will fall in line with the end of his second term.
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