Construction on US President Donald Trump's $200 million White House ballroom to begin in September
His dream is about to become a reality.
Construction will begin in September on a $US 200 million ($A311 million), 90,000-square-foot ballroom, his press secretary announced on Thursday.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
It fulfils a 15-year ambition by the president to construct an event space on the White House grounds that expands the building's entertaining capacity — but also resembles the gilded spaces of his private clubs.
Renderings provided by the White House depict a vast space with gold and crystal chandeliers, gilded Corinthian columns, a coffered ceiling with gold inlays, gold floor lamps and a checkered marble floor.
Three walls of arched windows look out over the White House's south grounds — including a massive new flagpole that was another of Trump's additions to the historic compound.
'I always said I was going to do something about the ballroom, because they should have one,' Trump told reporters on Thursday.
'It'll be a great legacy project, and I think it'll be special.'
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the new 'state ballroom' would occupy space currently housing the East Wing of the executive mansion, where first ladies have traditionally maintained offices. Staff working from the location now will be 'temporarily relocated'.
The renderings show the exterior of the ballroom jutting onto the South Lawn, with a colonnade running along one wall. A Palladian facade with columns and a pediment sits on the eastern wall.
The gold-and-white style closely mimics the Louis XIV-style main event room at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's estate in Palm Beach.
Trump has not shied away from drawing inspiration from his clubs.
'No president knew how to build a ballroom,' Trump said last weekend, meeting the European Commission president in another of his crystal-draped ballrooms, this one at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.
'I could take this one, drop it right down there, and it would be beautiful.'
The new ballroom — which will maintain the 'theme and architectural heritage' of the neoclassical executive mansion, the White House said — will have a seated capacity of 650 people, more than three times the space in the East Room, currently the largest event space in the White House.
'President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail,' White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in a statement.
'The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organisations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come.'
Leavitt characterised the new construction — which she said will be funded by Trump and other private donors — as a necessary addition after previous White Houses were forced to host major events in a temporary tent constructed on the South Lawn, which she called 'unsightly'.
'For 150 years, presidents, administrations and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed,' she said.
'President Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future administrations and the American people.'
Trump, she said, had convened meetings recently with officials from the National Park Service, the White House Military Office and the US Secret Service to 'discuss design features and planning'.
An architect known for 'classical architectural design', McCrery Architects, was selected to spearhead the project.
'I am honoured that President Trump has entrusted me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renovation to The People's House, while preserving the elegance of its classical design and historical importance,' the firm's CEO Jim McCrery said in a statement.
The vision of a new White House ballroom floated in Trump's mind dating back at least to 2010, when he called Barack Obama's White House offering to build one.
His offer was rebuffed.
'It was going to cost about $100 million,' Trump said during his first term. 'I offered to do it, and I never heard back.'
Stream free on
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Russian, Chinese navies hold drills in Sea of Japan
The Russian and Chinese navies are carrying out artillery and anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan as part of scheduled joint exercises, the Russian Pacific Fleet says. The drills are taking place two days after US President Donald Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. However, they were scheduled well before Trump's action. Interfax news agency quoted the Pacific Fleet as saying Russian and Chinese vessels were moving in a joint detachment including a large Russian anti-submarine ship and two Chinese destroyers. It said diesel-electric submarines from the two countries were also involved, as well as a Chinese submarine rescue ship. The manoeuvres are part of exercises titled "Maritime Interaction-2025" which are scheduled to end on Tuesday. Interfax said Russian and Chinese sailors would conduct artillery firing, practise anti-submarine and air defence missions, and improve joint search and rescue operations at sea. Russia and China, which signed a "no-limits" strategic partnership shortly before Russia went to war in Ukraine in 2022, conduct regular military exercises to rehearse co-ordination between their armed forces and send a deterrent signal to adversaries. Trump said his submarine order on Friday was made in response to what he called "highly provocative" remarks by Russia's Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Russia and the United States have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world. It is extremely rare for either country to discuss the deployment and location of its nuclear submarines. Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension with Moscow as he grows frustrated at the lack of progress towards ending the Ukraine war. The Russian and Chinese navies are carrying out artillery and anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan as part of scheduled joint exercises, the Russian Pacific Fleet says. The drills are taking place two days after US President Donald Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. However, they were scheduled well before Trump's action. Interfax news agency quoted the Pacific Fleet as saying Russian and Chinese vessels were moving in a joint detachment including a large Russian anti-submarine ship and two Chinese destroyers. It said diesel-electric submarines from the two countries were also involved, as well as a Chinese submarine rescue ship. The manoeuvres are part of exercises titled "Maritime Interaction-2025" which are scheduled to end on Tuesday. Interfax said Russian and Chinese sailors would conduct artillery firing, practise anti-submarine and air defence missions, and improve joint search and rescue operations at sea. Russia and China, which signed a "no-limits" strategic partnership shortly before Russia went to war in Ukraine in 2022, conduct regular military exercises to rehearse co-ordination between their armed forces and send a deterrent signal to adversaries. Trump said his submarine order on Friday was made in response to what he called "highly provocative" remarks by Russia's Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Russia and the United States have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world. It is extremely rare for either country to discuss the deployment and location of its nuclear submarines. Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension with Moscow as he grows frustrated at the lack of progress towards ending the Ukraine war. The Russian and Chinese navies are carrying out artillery and anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan as part of scheduled joint exercises, the Russian Pacific Fleet says. The drills are taking place two days after US President Donald Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. However, they were scheduled well before Trump's action. Interfax news agency quoted the Pacific Fleet as saying Russian and Chinese vessels were moving in a joint detachment including a large Russian anti-submarine ship and two Chinese destroyers. It said diesel-electric submarines from the two countries were also involved, as well as a Chinese submarine rescue ship. The manoeuvres are part of exercises titled "Maritime Interaction-2025" which are scheduled to end on Tuesday. Interfax said Russian and Chinese sailors would conduct artillery firing, practise anti-submarine and air defence missions, and improve joint search and rescue operations at sea. Russia and China, which signed a "no-limits" strategic partnership shortly before Russia went to war in Ukraine in 2022, conduct regular military exercises to rehearse co-ordination between their armed forces and send a deterrent signal to adversaries. Trump said his submarine order on Friday was made in response to what he called "highly provocative" remarks by Russia's Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Russia and the United States have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world. It is extremely rare for either country to discuss the deployment and location of its nuclear submarines. Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension with Moscow as he grows frustrated at the lack of progress towards ending the Ukraine war. The Russian and Chinese navies are carrying out artillery and anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan as part of scheduled joint exercises, the Russian Pacific Fleet says. The drills are taking place two days after US President Donald Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. However, they were scheduled well before Trump's action. Interfax news agency quoted the Pacific Fleet as saying Russian and Chinese vessels were moving in a joint detachment including a large Russian anti-submarine ship and two Chinese destroyers. It said diesel-electric submarines from the two countries were also involved, as well as a Chinese submarine rescue ship. The manoeuvres are part of exercises titled "Maritime Interaction-2025" which are scheduled to end on Tuesday. Interfax said Russian and Chinese sailors would conduct artillery firing, practise anti-submarine and air defence missions, and improve joint search and rescue operations at sea. Russia and China, which signed a "no-limits" strategic partnership shortly before Russia went to war in Ukraine in 2022, conduct regular military exercises to rehearse co-ordination between their armed forces and send a deterrent signal to adversaries. Trump said his submarine order on Friday was made in response to what he called "highly provocative" remarks by Russia's Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Russia and the United States have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world. It is extremely rare for either country to discuss the deployment and location of its nuclear submarines. Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension with Moscow as he grows frustrated at the lack of progress towards ending the Ukraine war.
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Russia, China hold artillery and anti-submarine drills off Japanese coast after Trump warns 'highly provocative' Kremlin
Russia and China are holding military drills in the Sea of Japan days after United States President deployed nuclear submarines in response to comments from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Mr Medvedev, who now acts as the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, has made a series of inflammatory statements following President Trump's demand the Kremlin negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine. The former Russian president initially dismissed the original, 90-day deadline as a "theatrical ultimatum", but later lashed out following the US President's move to shorten the window. In a series of social media posts, Mr Medvedev appeared to reference Russia's nuclear retaliation protocols and claimed President Trump's demands were "a step towards war". As tensions between the two nations escalate, Russian forces joined forces with their Chinese counterparts on Sunday to carry out scheduled joint exercises. News agency Interfax quoted the Russian Pacific Fleet as Russian and Chinese vessels were moving in a joint detachment including a large Russian anti-submarine ship and two Chinese destroyers. Diesel-electric submarines from the two countries are also involved, as well as a Chinese submarine rescue ship, with the vessels set to conduct artillery firing, practise anti-submarine and air defence missions, and improve joint search and rescue operations at sea. Russia and China signed a "no limits" partnership in 2022, shortly before the former invaded Ukraine, and have grown closer as the Kremlin was increasingly isolated by the international community. While both nations have embarked on regular drills in the years since, the latest exercises are likely to draw more scrutiny due to President Trump's move to deploy nuclear submarines "in the appropriate regions" after Mr Medvedev's threats. The use of submarines has also taken on increased importance for China, which is carefully monitoring the progress of the tri-lateral AUKUS agreement. The Trump administration is currently reviewing the deal, as it weighs whether or not to provide Australia with Virginia class nuclear submarines ahead of the development of AUKUS vessels. There are longstanding concerns within the US that allowing Australia to acquire Virginia class vessels would create a gap in the country's own capability. The US has repeatedly failed to meet its own production goal of 1.5 boats per year and that number would need to reach 2.3 in order to ensure enough submarines for both nations. China has mounted a concerted campaign to undermine the pact, including through intelligence efforts to uncover sensitive information, but has also taken steps to prepare for its completion. That includes the anti-submarine drills undertaken i partnership with Russia, with both nations seeking ways to deter and counteract the potential threat. With Reuters.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sweeney registered as a Republican the day after Trump's criminal conviction
Sydney Sweeney registered as a Republican the day after Donald Trump's criminal conviction. The White Lotus actress, who has provoked anger from Left-wing critics and social media commentators in a recent advert for American Eagle jeans, registered with the party in June last year, public records show. Two weeks earlier, Trump became the first president to be criminally convicted for what prosecutors said was a scheme to cover up an affair with an adult film star. A woman matching Sweeney's age, address and place of birth registered as a Republican on June 14 last year in Monroe County, Florida, according to state records. Her party affiliation is still active. Sweeney, 27, has been largely silent on her political views in public, but has recently been feted by Right-wing figures for an American Eagle jeans advert, which has been described as 'Maga-friendly' by critics. The camera zooms in on the actress's breasts and bottom during the advert, which ends with the slogan: 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.' Some critics on the Left have called it a sexist attempt to appeal to Mr Trump's 'Maga' base, while others – noting the pun on 'jeans' and 'genes' – claimed it promotes eugenics and 'Nazi propaganda'. 'It seemed clear to me that they [American Eagle] were aligning themselves with a white nationalist, Maga-friendly identity,' Shalini Shankar, an anthropology professor at Northwestern University, told CNN.
