White House responds to reports on Trump naming ballroom after himself amid outrage over project

WASHINGTON, DC: White House officials pushed back against reports that President Trump would attach his name to the new ballroom 

Amid growing controversy over the demolition of the White House’s East Wing, President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to name his new $300 million ballroom after himself. 

Officials have already begun referring to the lavish project as The President Donald J Trump Ballroom, signaling that Trump intends to keep the name once construction is complete.

What did White House report say about name of new ballroom?

 The White House emphasized that any decision regarding the name of the new ballroom will come directly from President Trump.

“Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital on Friday, October 24.

Speculation about Trump naming the ballroom after himself spread rapidly on Friday, fueled in part by an ABC News report claiming that administration officials were already referring to the project as The President Donald J Trump Ballroom. When asked about a potential name, Trump told ABC News on Thursday, “I won’t get into that now.” 

Trump announces new ballroom's construction

Trump officially announced on Monday, October 20 that construction had begun on the new ballroom, following months of promoting the project as part of his plans to modernize the White House. The administration has repeatedly stressed that the project is privately funded and will not cost taxpayers.

“For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

“I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!”

Newly released images show that the entire East Wing of the White House has been demolished to make room for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. 

A White House official confirmed that $350 million has already been raised for the project, noting that the president “has received such positive and overwhelming support for the ballroom that he continues to receive donations.”

The official added that the project’s estimated cost remains $300 million but declined to comment on how the additional $50 million in funds will be used.

When asked by ABC News Correspondent Karen Travers how much of his own money he plans to contribute, Trump responded, “Oh, millions of dollars. Yeah. Well, I also give, you know, I give a lot of money to the White House. The White House is, as you know, I give my salary, and I usually like to steer it to the White House because this house was a little bit abandoned."

Trump's White House ballroom construction sparks outrage

The start of construction on the new ballroom has sparked intense criticism from Democrats, who have accused President Trump of damaging an iconic American landmark.

“Oh you're trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can't hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,” Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on X in response to Trump’s Monday announcement.

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton also criticized the project, posting on X, “The White House became my home when I was twelve years old. I always understood that it wasn’t my ‘house’; it was The People’s House. The erasure of the East Wing isn't just about marble or plaster — it's about President Trump again taking a wrecking ball to our heritage, while targeting our democracy, and the rule-of-law.”

The Trump administration has repeatedly pushed back against these criticisms. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that presidents have historically sought larger entertaining spaces at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

“Nearly every single president who’s lived in this beautiful White House behind me has made modernizations and renovations of their own,” Leavitt said on 'Jesse Watters Primetime' on Tuesday, October 21.

“In fact, presidents for decades — in modern times — have joked about how they wished they had a larger event space here at the White House, something that could hold hundreds more people than the current East Room and State Dining Room."