The White House monstrosity that will be a monument to Trump’s crassness

Detailed summary

The US President is pursuing his pet projects with renewed vigour, despite the threat of investigation and criticism that his 90,000-sq-ft 'shed' looks like an Amazon warehouse ...

Hours after the Republicans suffered their worst midterms defeat in decades, Donald Trump appeared to have just one thing on his mind: the progress on his $600m (£452m) ballroom.

“Envision chandeliers all over,” the President told reporters during a walkthrough. “Envision marble floor. Oh, it’s going to be beautiful.”

That’s not quite the word being used to describe the project this week. The latest images of the gigantic half-finished structure towering over the White House have drawn comments likening it to an Amazon warehouse or a data centre.

Others called the building – a planned 90,000-square-foot venue for state dinners and formal functions, with a roof that can hold up to 100 drones and a six-storey military bunker – a monstrosity that will serve largely as a monument to Trump’s vanity.

“The ballroom saga is all about Trump’s persona and his crude delusions,” said John Owens, professor of US politics at the University of Westminster. “To call his gilded ballroom a vanity project is a gross understatement.”

Trump has become laser-focused on legacy following his party’s midterms collapse, pursuing his pet projects with renewed vigour before the Democrats take control of Congress in January and as he enters his final two years in office.

The President may now face difficulty in getting further funding for the event space, said to be suitable for up to 999 guests, approved. Trump initially said it would cost around $200m (£152m) and would be self-funded with the help of private donors, but that estimate later doubled to $400m (£294m). A contractor report uncovered by The Washington Post in March suggested it would cost a total of $600m, with more than half of that coming from public funds.

Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Google and Lockheed Martin have all donated to the ballroom.

Dr David Andersen, an associate professor in US Politics at Durham University, told The i Paper that the project was in “shockingly poor taste”.

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