Days after President Donald Trump toured one of the Federal Reserve buildings under construction and criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell over the cost of the project, Trump’s White House communications team announced on Thursday that “beginning in September, construction will begin on a brand-new 90,000 square ft ballroom that will be enjoyed for generations to come.”
BREAKING: We’re getting an expansion!
Beginning in September, construction will begin on a brand-new 90,000 square ft ballroom that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Visit https://t.co/fYztfJspLP for more information pic.twitter.com/SVvlaDpRmA
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 31, 2025
According to announcement (above), “the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance.”
The ballroom, which will occupy the East Wing, will add an additional 90,000 total square feet to the space with a seating capacity of 650 people. (The East Room currently has a seating capacity of 200 people. It was constructed in 1942, while Franklin D. Roosevelt was president, on top of the then-secret underground Presidential Emergency Operations Center.)
The White House will continue to provide the American public with updates on this project.
Check out the renderings below
pic.twitter.com/NSILmJDkNi
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 31, 2025
Democrats including DNC strategist Adam Parkhomenko responded to the renderings: “So now Trump wants to turn the White House into Mar-a-Lago: DC Edition. A 90,000 square foot addition dripping in gold, chandeliers, and the subtle scent of overdue court dates.”
Others — in both positive and negative critiques — mentioned the ballroom’s decor similarities with the renowned excesses of the Palace of Versailles, commissioned by King Louis XIV of France.
Former Trump supporter and journalist Ally Sammarco replied: “Guess DOGE was just about making cuts for regular people and not them.”
More than one American taxpayer — perhaps not taking the estimate at face value — responded to the announcement by asking, “How much is this going to cost?”
According to the White House press release approximately $200 million has been funded by President Trump “and other patriot donors” for the project. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read the press release aloud in the briefing room (see below), confirming the contributions of donors but not their identities.
.@PressSec: “President Trump and other donors have generously committed to donating the funds necessary to build.” pic.twitter.com/skI9p4djSc
— Global Index (@TheGlobal_Index) July 31, 2025
McCrery Architects of Washington, D.C. is the lead architect (founder James McCrery is a professor at Catholic University’s School of Architecture); Clark Construction will lead the construction, and the engineering team will be led by AECOM, which in June won a $1.5 billion contract from the U.S. Air Force.