President Trump’s White House ballroom is scheduled to open right before the end of his second term, in September 2028, he said.
“China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.,” he said in a Friday Truth Social post accompanied by a picture of him and Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing this week. “Thank you for all the support I have been given in getting this project going. Scheduled opening will be around September of 2028.”
Mr. Trump’s announcement marks the first time he has provided a specific completion date for the $400 million ballroom.
The largely privately funded project, which replaces the demolished East Wing, had construction crews building the ground floor this week.
The White House announced the ballroom project last summer after the historic two-story portion of the White House complex that served as office space for the first lady and her staff, the White House social secretary and the visitor entrance was torn down.
But the structure faces significant political and legal hurdles.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt the construction of the 90,000-square-foot structure, citing a lack of public review. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted an administrative stay, allowing aboveground and belowground construction to continue pending further hearings.
Trump initially promised the ballroom would be entirely paid for by private donors and would not cost Americans anything. However, lawmakers proposed taxpayer funding for security measures, such as ballistic glass and blast-proof columns.
The administration is also pushing for a larger $1 billion Secret Service funding package, $220 million of which is intended to go toward the ballroom’s security hardening and up to $180 million to establish a new visitor screening facility.
Lawmakers, mostly Democrats, are pushing back against using taxpayer dollars on the project.
