Nancy Mace says she ‘wouldn’t oppose’ use of taxpayer funds for Trump's WH ballroom

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Nancy Mace (R-SC) has stepped into the growing debate around President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, making it clear she is firmly in favor of the project — regardless of how it is funded.

Mace's remarks came after the president doubled down on the need for a secure ballroom following the recent chaos at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Nancy Mace signals support for ballroom regardless of how it is funded

Mace’s position is straightforward. She is backing the idea of a new ballroom at the White House and is not drawing a hard line on how it gets paid for.

She said she is in favor of Trump building the ballroom using private funds.

At the same time, the South Carolina politician added she “wouldn’t oppose it” if taxpayer money is used, pointing out that previous presidents have also made additions to the White House over time.

Trump frames ballroom plan as a security need

Following that shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump argued that the current setup for large events is simply not secure enough.

He described the venue used for the dinner, the Washington Hilton, as “not a particularly secure building,” stressing the need for “levels of security never seen before.”

According to Trump, the push for a new ballroom is not just about convenience or prestige.

He says it is about safety — not only for himself but for everyone attending major events involving the presidency.

In a Truth Social post, the commander-in-chief wrote, "What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE."

"This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House," Trump claimed. 

Justice Department ramps up pressure to move ballroom project forward

The Department of Justice has taken an aggressive approach in backing the ballroom plan, using the recent shooting scare as a key argument.

Officials say the incident exposed serious risks tied to hosting major events at off-site locations like hotels.

The Trump administration has pointed to the chaos at the Washington Hilton as proof that such venues are “demonstrably unsafe.”

In a strongly worded move, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche urged the National Trust for Historic Preservation to drop its legal challenge against the project. "It's time to build the ballroom," he stressed. 

The DOJ argues that the proposed ballroom — a massive 90,000-square-foot space — is not a luxury but a “mechanical necessity” for presidential safety. They say delaying construction could directly impact the ability of security agencies to protect the president and other top officials.