White House Is Getting a $200M Ballroom

The White House on Thursday announced that construction on a $200 million ballroom will begin in September and be ready for entertaining before President Trump's term ends in early 2029. It will be the latest change introduced to what's known as the "people's house" since Trump returned to office in January, the AP reports. It will also be the first structural change to the Executive Mansion since the addition of the Truman balcony several decades ago.

• Trump for months has been promising to build a ballroom, saying the White House doesn't have enough space to hold large events and he does not like the idea of hosting heads of state and other guests in tents on the lawn, as past administrations have done for the hundreds of guests who attend state dinners. The East Room, the largest room in the the White House, can accommodate about 200 people.

• The 90,000-square-foot ballroom announced Thursday will be built where the East Wing currently sits and have a seated capacity of 650 people. The East Wing is home to several offices, including the first lady's, and those offices will be relocated during construction.
• Trump "and other patriot donors, have generously committed to donating the funds necessary to build this approximately $200 million dollar structure," the White House said in a news release. The White House described the East Wing, built in 1902, as "small, heavily changed, and reconstructed." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not name any of the other donors at a briefing Thursday.
• Trump has substantially redecorated the Oval Office by adding golden flourishes, cherubs, and other items and installed massive flagpoles to fly the American flag on the north and south lawns. Workers are currently finishing a project to replace the lawn in the Rose Garden with stone.