Trump’s ballroom now set to cost $600 million - with half coming from taxpayers, new report reveals

In March, President Donald Trump said his vast White House ballroom would cost $400 million and be funded entirely by private donations, noting: “We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents.”

But weeks prior to these public remarks, the project’s contractor had warned the administration that total costs would reach $600 million — with at least half expected to be covered by taxpayers, according to a new report.

Six cost estimates produced between July and March by Clark Construction, the Maryland-based firm overseeing the project, reveal that internal projections were far higher than officials publicly acknowledged, according to The Washington Post.

The records also suggest the project was always expected to depend significantly on public funds.

The Independent has contacted the White House and Clark Construction for comment.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on internal cost estimates to The Washington Post and a representative for Clark Construction directed questions to the White House.

“President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for Presidents for generations to come,” a White House spokesperson said.

On July 11, the contractor sent an estimate to the White House, projecting the ballroom would have a price tag of $270 million, over $100 million of which would be forked over by taxpayers — routed through the White House Military Office and the Secret Service.

Upwards of $1.6 million in Secret Service dollars was budgeted to help pay for the demolition of the East Wing in order to make space for the 90,000-square-foot neoclassical ballroom.

“That is a stretch,” Anthony Costa, a former General Services Administration official who handled government real estate projects, told the Post. “How is that something Secret Service should do and fund?”

After initially stating the project would cost $200 million, Trump revised the price tag to $300 million on October 22, when workers began tearing down the historic East Wing. The president also told reporters that the U.S. military was involved in the project, but that costs would be covered “100 percent by me and some friends of mine.”

However, two days earlier, Clark Construction issued a project summary showing costs were expected to reach $478 million, half of which would be paid by taxpayers.

By December, Trump said the ballroom would cost about $400 million, telling reporters: “We’re donating a building that’s approximately $400 million.”

Three months later, Clark told the White House that the price tag was revised to $600 million. Of that figure, $293 million — about 48 percent — was projected to come from “private sources,” while $307 million — about 51 percent — was slated to come from the Secret Service, the White House Military Office and the Executive Residence, sources funded by public dollars.

In April, the White House said the new ballroom was a national security priority, claiming the space could securely host functions like the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. This year’s dinner was canceled after a gunman opened fire at the Washington Hilton in an attempt to target Trump and other high-ranking Republican officials.

Republicans on Capitol Hill put forward legislation that would have provided $400 million “to upgrade the presidential ballroom and strengthen the White House’s security infrastructure.” However, Democrats and seven Republicans killed the measure.

“President Trump indicated that the ballroom was going to be built with private donations,” Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who opposed the funding bill, said at the time. “I think that’s the commitment that should be kept.”

By May, Trump acknowledged to reporters that taxpayers would cover some of the project’s security-related expenses.

“They have a budget in Secret Service and the military to do some of the work that you see right here,” Trump said, while hosting a tour of the construction site. The ballroom, he said, “is not going to be paid for by the taxpayer. This is a gift to the United States of America.”

Trump’s ballroom, while a longtime personal priority for the president, is broadly unpopular with Americans, according to multiple polls. Fifty-six percent of respondents in an April Ipsos survey said they opposed the development altogether, while just 28 percent expressed support.

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