President Donald Trump has quietly tacked on another $100 million to the estimated cost of his Mar-a-Lago-style White House ballroom.
Speaking at a Hanukkah event at the White House on Tuesday, the president repeatedly said his vanity project would cost $400 million, up from the previously updated estimate of $300 million and double the $200 million figure cited when construction plans were first announced.
Trump let slip the new estimated cost of the ballroom—an undertaking that has seen the East Wing of the White House torn down—while discussing a lawsuit seeking to halt further construction until the project receives the necessary approvals.
“We got sued. We’re donating a $400 million ballroom, and we got sued not to build it,” Trump said. “For 150 years, they’ve wanted a ballroom, and we’re giving them—myself and donors are giving them—free of charge. We’re donating a building that’s approximately $400 million.”
His comments came hours after a Justice Department lawyer admitted to a federal judge that “nothing about this building is finalized” and the design work itself is still “in progress,” with a new architect just hired. It’s not clear if that was factored into the new price estimate.
Trump attempted to cover himself by suggesting he will actually build the ballroom “for less” than the new estimate because “if I get $3 over, the press will say it costs more.”
“They asked for a restraining order to stop us from building a magnificent ballroom,” Trump added. “We’re giving them, like I said, $400 million. It’ll be the most beautiful ballroom, and it’ll handle inaugurations. It’s got five-inch-thick glass windows. It is impenetrable by anything but a howitzer.”
The president has faced intense criticism for building the eye-wateringly expensive ballroom as millions of Americans struggle through a cost-of-living crisis—a reality Trump has repeatedly rejected and dismissed as a “hoax.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a congressionally chartered nonprofit tasked with safeguarding historic sites, filed a lawsuit last week against the Trump administration, arguing that the White House ballroom is being built unlawfully.
The group contends that such a project requires congressional approval, multiple independent reviews, and an “adequate” environmental impact assessment.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever—not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the lawsuit states. “And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.”
U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon, who is overseeing the case, signaled Tuesday that he would allow construction to continue after finding that the National Trust for Historic Preservation failed to show that “irreparable harm” would occur if the project moves forward, according to the Associated Press.
Elsewhere during his remarks Tuesday night, Trump—who survived an assassination attempt in 2024—reiterated that the massive 90,000 square-foot ballroom could also be used to hold presidential inauguration ceremonies with greater “safety.”
“So you have total safety from not only the weather, January 20 is always a disaster from the coldness standpoint…but from a safety standpoint, we can do better,” he said. “So we’re going to have something that’s really, really spectacular. And I thank the judge in the case for the courage in making the proper decision.”
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