Trump praises longtime critic Rand Paul for White House ballroom vote amid legal roadblock

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump, who is often seen taking on his political foes, in a rare show of appreciation for his opponent on Thursday, April 3, hailed Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul for backing plans for a new White House ballroom. 

The president called Paul’s approval an "extraordinarily difficult vote."

Trump says Rand Paul voted a 'strong yes' in favor of his ballroom

"I would like to thank the hardworking Commissioners and Staff of the National Capital Planning Commission, who just voted overwhelmingly, 8-1, to approve the magnificent White House Ballroom now rising on this Hallowed Ground," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump said that he was pleased to announce that even Board Member Senator Paul voted a "strong yes" in favour of a new ballroom, calling it "an extraordinarily difficult vote."

Paul is known for criticizing Trump’s working style and has constantly been calling him out over tariffs, foreign policies, and the military operation against Iran.

In late March, the senator voted in favor of the War Powers Resolution to limit the president’s power to initiate military operations on foreign grounds. Paul was the only Republican to do so.

Relations between Paul and Trump became strained in 2015, during the first GOP primary, when they confronted each other during the first Republican debate in August of that year.

The tension between them has only grown with Trump calling Paul "sick Wacko" as recently as November 2025.

White House ballroom faces legal roadblock

The path to building a new White House ballroom is not yet clear. It has met with a roadblock, with a federal judge halting the project and observing that the construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom must receive Congressional approval.

"The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!" a 35-page ruling by US District Judge Richard Leon read. "No statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have."

Despite the court ruling, the National Capital Planning Commission moved forward with approval voting, as commission chair Will Scharf said that the judge’s observation only prevented the construction of the project. "We’ll move past that and continue our consideration of the East Wing modernization project," he said.

The White House ballroom, beneath which Trump aspires to build a massive military complex, will be funded by private donors and is anticipated to be completed by 2028.

"The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Judge Leon observed on March 31

 However, after the project met with a legal roadblock, the Trump administration is preparing to appeal the judge’s decision.