Renovations to the White House East Wing, where a ballroom is being constructed, have been mocked by talk show host Stephen Colbert.
The Late Show host pointed out that the initial price Donald Trump had given for the project, $200million, had doubled between the first announcement and the president's most recent statement. Colbert, whose stint on The Late Show will come to an end in May 2026, blasted the president for the increasing cost of the ballroom renovation.
The White House East Wing will be converted into a ballroom, though the project has faced criticism from historical activists and even prompted a lawsuit to be filed against Trump for his plans for buildings in the area.
Colbert's team clipped together each time the price had increased under Trump. The first announcement confirmed the ballroom would be $200million to construct, paid for by donors from companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. But Trump's latest statement on the cost of the ballroom had the president suggest it would be $400million.
Colbert said, "...and because air was passing through Trump's windpipe, he brought up his stupid ballroom. The one that's going to cost, sorry, how much is it going to cost again?" The clips of Trump increasing the price each time he was asked about the ballroom renovation price then played.
At a Hanukkah address earlier this week, Trump confirmed the ballroom would, in fact, cost $400million to make. Colbert added, "$400million up from $200million. How much is this price going to go up? But at least all that money is going towards something important, thick windows."
Trump would brag about the thickness of the windows in his Hanukkah address, saying it would take a Howitzer to breach the five inch thick windows.
Other projects on the White House lawn are causing concern too, with the president slapped with a suit over how he intends to change the Eisenhower Building. Greg Werkheiser, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, has said the issue is not in Trump's plan, but in how he wants to make the sweeping changes to historic buildings.
Werkheiser said, "Paint traps moisture, ruins the mortar, weakens and cracks the rock." Trump's wish to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was confirmed in an earlier statement from the president, where he shared his desire to change the "ugly building".
He said, "It was always considered an ugly building and it’s actually one of the most beautiful buildings ever built." Even with the lawsuit hitting Trump, some art experts believe there is nothing stopping the president from making changes regardless.
