He United States Senate has eliminated an item of expenses, of about 344 million euros, from the funds of security that could have been used for the White House Ballroom, jeopardizing Republican efforts to allocate public money to President Donald Trump’s controversial project.
The decision represents a serious setback for Trump, who considers the Ballroom one of his star projects and part of his presidential legacy.
Republicans had requested these funds for security purposes, alluding to the assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, although the president has insisted that the work on the Ballroom will be financed through contributions from private donors.
The Democratic leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, assured after learning of the brake in the Upper House that “Republicans tried to get taxpayers to cover the expenses of Trump’s multimillion-dollar Ballroom. Senate Democrats counterattacked and frustrated their first attempt.”
“Democrats will continue to fight this by every means at our disposal… anywhere else Republicans try to loot Americans’ hard-earned money to finance Trump’s golden palace. The contrast couldn’t be clearer: Democrats fight for American families; Republicans fight for Trump,” Schumer added.
Architecture and forecasts
The construction of the dance hall has become one of the most controversial issues of Trump’s second term. To the controversy over having demolished the East Wing of the White House without any type of permit to build the Ballroom, are added the architectural doubts and stylistics of the project, among other reasons, due to its size, much larger than the rest of the presidential complex.
However, Trump announced this week that the Ballroom will open in September 2028. “Its opening is scheduled for around September 2028,” the president said in a message on his Truth Social network.
He added that “it is under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the most magnificent facility of its kind in the entire United States.”
