A ballroom, flag poles, the Rose Garden: Here's what Trump's changing at the White House
On Thursday, July 31, the White House announced plans to begin construction in September on a $200 million ballroom on the east part of the mansion, which Trump has vowed to pay out of his own pocket and with private donations.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the new "innately designed and carefully crafted" 90,000 square-foot ballroom will be a "much-needed and exquisite addition" to hold large events on the White House complex.
The new ballroom, which is expected to be completed before Trump's term is over in 2029, is one of the several changes the president has announced for the centuries-old building. Here's what the Trump administration has announced, so far.
$200 million ballroom
The ballroom, which is expected to be done by 2029, will be able to hold 650 people, some 200 more people than the White House's East Room, where presidents have historically held large receptions.
Trump has frequently complained that the White House lacks a proper large-scale ballroom for entertaining.
"President Trump and other donors have generously committed to donating the funds necessary to build this $200 million structure," Leavitt said during a July 31 briefing.
New flag poles
Back in June, two 88-foot-tall flagpoles, one on the north lawn and one on the south lawn of the White House, were installed after Trump said they were desperately needed and that he would pay for them himself.
'How do you like it, everybody?' Trump said to reporters after the flag reached the top of one of the poles.
"It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place," Trump said in a social media post. "Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!"
A stone Rose Garden
Another change Trump has begun to implement is renovations to the White House's iconic Rose Garden.
Construction crews broke ground on the outdoor area in June after Trump ordered a major remodel, including replacing the grass with gravel.
The president has said in previous interviews he wanted the area paved for the ease of visitors − specifically those in heeled footwear.
'What was happening is, that's supposed to have events. Every event you have, it's soaking wet,' Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham in March. 'It's soaking wet ... and the women with the high heels, it's just too much.'
Gold, gold, and more gold
Perhaps the most visible change made by the president tracks his stylistic choices over the years: his preference for gold. More than six months after making his return to the White House, Trump's Oval Office became a golden room.
Gold-colored appliqués on the fireplace, gilded mirrors, and ornate Rococo-style 18th and 19th-century dessert stands and flower vases from London and France sit on the mantle, as USA TODAY previously reported. The walls are chockablock with paintings of former presidents in heavily ornate gold frames. The Cabinet Room has been outfitted with new ceiling medallions and a grandfather clock.
The golden changes to the room differ vastly from former President Joe Biden's Oval Office, which had a more sparse golden touch on its walls.
USA TODAY's Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Erin Mansfield, Savannah Kuchar, and Joey Garrison contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's White House renovations include ballroom, flag poles, more
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Venezuelan Little League team granted exemption to President Trump's travel ban after senior team denied entry
A team from Venezuela has received approval from the Trump administration to participate in the 2025 Little League World Series, two weeks after a team from the same country was denied entry for a different tournament. The team from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, the winners of last month's Latin America region tournament, was granted a "national exemption" to enter the country, per The Athletic. The effort reportedly required both the intervention of Sen. David McCormick (R-Penn.) and a personal sign-off from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The team's Instagram account confirmed it was playing over the weekend. The team's status was in limbo following the denial of a team from Maracaibo, Venezuela to play in the Senior League World Series, a Little League-run tournament for players between 13 and 16 years old. Venezuela is one of seven countries facing a limited ban on entry into the U.S. following an executive order from President Donald Trump. That order grants exceptions to 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State." However, that leaves Rubio as the arbiter for what constitutes a "major sporting event," leaving uncertainty for any international event looking to take place in the country. The order specifically carves out an opening for those involved with the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but even that leaves uncertainty based on what is considered a "necessary support role" or "immediate relative." St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras, one of 86 players born in Venezuela to appear in MLB this year, blasted the Senior League team's situation in an interview with The Athletic: 'What pisses me off is they earned the right to be here,' Contreras said of the team that was barred last month. 'They are little kids chasing dreams. I put myself in their shoes because I was a kid once, and I dreamed of being in the Little League World Series once.' In the case of the Little League team, McCormick, a Trump ally on immigration, reportedly worked with the State Department to ensure the Venezuelans were granted entry, via the Athletic: 'I am thrilled my team and I were able to play a small role in making sure young athletes are able to chase their dreams and participate in this timeless Pennsylvania tradition,' McCormick said in a statement to The Athletic. MLB also reportedly offered help to Little League with the visa process, after months of following the Trump's lead on topics such as reinstating Pete Rose from the ineligible list and eliminating mentions of its diversity programs from its site. The 2025 Little League World Series is scheduled to take place from Aug. 13-24 in Williamsport, Penn.
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Federal appeals court sides with Texas on ID requirements for voting by mail
A federal appeals court has upheld Texas' requirement that potential voters must list their identification information in their application for a mail-in ballot. In Texas, voting by mail is only available for certain groups of people, including elderly voters and people with disabilities. Under Senate Bill 1 passed in 2021, voters must also include an ID number — such as a driver's license number — on both the vote-by-mail applications and the mail-in ballots and both numbers need to match. Opponents of the law said this provision discriminated against voters with disabilities and that it would not meaningfully cut down on voter fraud. In a Monday ruling, a panel from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the updated requirement does not violate federal law. It also reversed a lower court's decision. 'We have no difficulty concluding that this ID number requirement fully complies with a provision of federal law known by the parties as the materiality provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act,' wrote Judge James Ho, a Trump appointee. Judge Patrick Higginbotham and Judge Don Willett, who were appointed under the Reagan and Trump administrations, respectively, joined Ho's ruling. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lauded the ruling Tuesday. 'Voter ID is one of the most crucial tools in the battle against election fraud, and I'm pleased to see the court affirm our fundamental right to defend the integrity of our democratic process,' he said in a news release. Prior to this decision, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas had ruled in 2023 that the requirements infringed on the Civil Rights Act. Though later that year, Paxton's office was able to stop that decision from going into effect. These voter ID requirements were also the target of legal challenges from several civil rights groups, along with other provisions of SB 1. Groups that were part of this case — including the League of Women Voters of Texas, OCA-Greater Houston and Rev Up Texas — didn't immediately respond to comment requests from The Texas Tribune Tuesday. A recent study from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School found that the state's requirements pushed many voters whose mail ballots or vote-by-mail applications were rejected during the 2022 primary to change their method — or not vote at all. Disclosure: League of Women Voters of Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The lineup for The Texas Tribune Festival continues to grow! Be there when all-star leaders, innovators and newsmakers take the stage in downtown Austin, Nov. 13–15. The newest additions include comedian, actor and writer John Mulaney; Dallas mayor Eric Johnson; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; New York Media Editor-at-Large Kara Swisher; and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. Get your tickets today! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Trump denies knowledge of Ghislaine Maxwell's prison transfer
President Donald Trump says he 'didn't know' that Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas. Trump adds, 'it's not a very uncommon thing.'
