John Oliver reveals why he thinks Trump loves ballrooms as he slams 'insane' East Wing demolition

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Comedian John Oliver made fun of President Donald Trump’s $350 million ballroom project and highlighted that 12 million children in the US grow up in poverty each year.

During Comic Relief Live in New York City on Wednesday, December 10, Oliver said, "It is wild... to get a news alert saying President Donald Trump just demolished the East Wing of the White House." The event was packed with performers who poked fun at the "moment of history" we’re living in.

John Oliver says 'nobody gives a f*** about ballrooms'

John Oliver said during the event, "Thirty years ago, every element of that sentence would have sounded completely insane," as he quoted Donald Trump who said in the past that people are "loving" his plan to demolish the wing and have wanted a White House ballroom for 150 years, but "there’s never been a president that’s good at ballrooms."

"Nobody gives a f*** about ballrooms, apart from people who like ballrooms… who are all a*****es," the comedian added, as he prompted laughter in the crowd.

Interestingly, Trump’s proposed ballroom project has only grown in budget and size. When the construction was first announced in July 2025, it was priced at $200 million, with a planned footprint of 90,000 square feet and seating for 600 people. 

However, the gilded project is now more than $100 million over budget and expected to seat 900 people.

Even though Trump has claimed that the ballroom is something "needed and desired," public support for its construction has been divided along partisan lines. A large majority of Americans strongly disapprove of demolishing the East Wing to build it.

The East Wing traditionally housed the Office of the First Lady before its demolition. As per the Wall Street Journal, Melania Trump "privately raised concerns" about its demolition, as the POTUS also noted that she "loved her tiny office."

Further in Wednesday's event, comedian Trevor Noah mentioned the first lady, saying, "They told me… we have a surprise for you, a very successful immigrant woman is going to present."

He added, "I was like, oh my God, Melania’s coming," as he joked that he was disappointed to find out it was Lupita Nyong’o who presented the award — "just someone who played a prisoner."

Trump replaces architect on White House ballroom after size dispute

Donald Trump replaced his handpicked architect after weeks of escalating disagreements behind the scenes, according to the Washington Post.

Sources familiar with the project said the POTUS was no longer aligned with the original vision, and the ballroom’s extraordinary size sat at the heart of the conflict.

As per the outlet, Trump removed architect James McRery III, who had led the $350 million project. Three people familiar with the matter informed the outlet that the two had stopped seeing eye-to-eye. 

McRery’s draft had placed the ballroom at around 90,000 square feet — almost twice the size of the 55,000-square-foot White House. For Trump, that figure reportedly triggered concern.

This follows earlier reporting from late November, when initial design concepts started to spark doubts, and the two men’s approaches drifted further apart. The disagreement had become difficult to ignore by December.