President Donald Trump hit out at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins this weekend over questions on the increased cost of the under-construction White House ballroom in a social media post on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Trump’s planned $300 million White House ballroom has sparked debate from groups including politicians, preservationists, and the public over its scale and potential effects on the nation’s historic heritage.
What To Know
“Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago. I said because it is going to be double the size, and the quality of finishes and interiors has been brought to the highest level,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.
“Also, the column SPAN has been substantially increased for purposes of viewing. It is actually under budget and ahead of schedule, as my jobs always are. It’s just much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned. Interestingly, and seldom reported, there are no taxpayer dollars involved. It is being fully paid for by private donations,” Trump said.
The comments came after being asked about the cost of the White House ballroom, per Raw Story.
In October, Trump said that the cost of the renovation would total “about $300 million,” Newsweek reported previously—a $100 million increase on the $200 million price tag attached to the project by The White House in July.
In a letter to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House this summer, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) stressed that the design and decision-making process behind 90,000-odd square foot space, which is receiving private funding, “must be transparent and open to public input,” given the White House’s “symbolic importance.”
Members of the Democratic Party have also criticized the renovations.
The administration has dismissed pushback against the expansion as “manufactured outrage” from “unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies,” asserting that the event space would be a “bold” and “necessary” addition to keep the “executive residence as a beacon of American excellence.”
What People Are Saying
An October press release from the White House said: “For more than a century, U.S. Presidents have been renovating, expanding, and modernizing the White House to meet the needs of the present day.”
It added: “Now, in 2025, President Trump is carrying forward that legacy, breaking ground on a grand ballroom—a transformative addition that will significantly increase the White House’s capacity to host major functions honoring world leaders, foreign nations, and other dignitaries.”
Meghan McCain, political commentator, and daughter of the late Republican U.S. Senator John McCain, on X in November: “White House renovations are normal. A $300 million dollar ballroom during a shutdown? That’s a choice.”
What Happens Next
Trump selected Shalom Baranes to replace James McCrery II as the ballroom’s chief architect, Newsweek reported on Friday.
The White House previously said that construction on the ballroom was expected to be completed “long before the end of President Trump’s term.”
