President Donald Trump said that construction of his planned White House ballroom and military complex is running “under budget” and “ahead of schedule,” one day after Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily cleared the administration to continue work on the project.
“Tremendous work has been done on the magnificent BALLROOM/MILITARY COMPLEX being built on the grounds of the White House!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, posting a photograph showing progress at the construction site.
The massive project has become the subject of multiple legal challenges and heightened scrutiny amid reports that the administration intended to draw on congressional appropriations designated for other federal agencies to help cover construction expenses.
Trump initially said the $400 million project would be financed entirely through private contributions. The projected price tag subsequently climbed to $600 million, according to records reported by The Washington Post.
Contractor documents dating to March 2025 reportedly indicated that officials anticipated approximately $293 million would come from private donations, with additional funding potentially drawn from taxpayer-supported budgets belonging to entities including the U.S. Secret Service and the White House Military Office.
Trump, however, again insisted Saturday that taxpayers would not be responsible for the project, while declaring that construction is progressing faster and more economically than planned.
“The Ballroom will be paid for with ZERO Dollars of Taxpayer Money,” he continued. “Great American Patriots and Companies are footing the entire bill.”
The Hill said it contacted the White House seeking additional information regarding the financing and status of the project.
Trump’s comments came after Roberts issued an order Friday allowing the administration to temporarily resume construction. The chief justice put on hold a lower court directive that would have stopped above-ground work on the ballroom complex.
The Supreme Court action does not resolve the underlying legal dispute or constitute a final decision on whether construction may ultimately proceed. Instead, the temporary order gives the justices additional time to consider the Trump administration’s emergency appeal while allowing work to continue in the meantime.
Attorney General Todd Blanche welcomed Roberts’s intervention, saying he was “extraordinarily appreciative” of the chief justice’s decision.
“There has been a need for a ballroom and a safe space and a military installation for decades on the White House grounds, and President Trump has delivered on that,” Blanche told Fox News on Friday. “And so, we’re going to continue to let the process move forward through the courts, but we’re appreciative we got this stay yesterday and we’re going to keep on building.”
{Matzav.com}
