Bombshell Investigation: The $300 Million White House Ballroom
Uncovering the secrets, donors, and implications of Trump's massive East Wing demolition
This is a Centered America investigative post, and we urge you to read this closely.
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A palace bigger than the White House
In July 2025, the Trump White House announced plans to demolish the East Wing and replace it with a “State Ballroom.” The new ballroom will span 90,000 square feet, while the entire White House, including the main residence, measures about 55,000 square feet (The Guardian). That means this single addition would be larger than the White House itself, big enough to fit an entire second White House inside. The project was presented as a privately financed ballroom designed to seat roughly 650 guests (www.reuters.com).
This is what 85,000 square feet looks like, and that’s still smaller than the 90,000 square feet they’re claiming:
By October, Trump was bragging that it could hold 999 people, with bullet‑resistant windows and room to host an inauguration. The East Wing, built in 1942 and housing the first lady’s offices and the PEOC bunker, was demolished within days, even though no plans had been filed with the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC).
While ultra-luxury buildings might reach high per-square-foot costs, few if any exceed $1,000 per sq ft for purely above-ground construction of this type. By contrast, this project is estimated at $200 million initially and later $300 million (FactCheck.org).
Doing the simple math:
$300 million / 90,000 sq ft ≈ $3,333 per sq ft
These figures are 2-3 times the norm and demand explanation. What justifies such an inflated cost?
The public disclosure offers no breakdown (materials, security systems, subterranean work) to support that.
Thus, the high per-square-foot figure becomes yet another red flag: if this is simply a ballroom, the cost is excessive; if it is something more, then we should know that explicitly. The lack of transparency only deepens suspicion.
A dual‑use facility?
The sheer scale of the ballroom raised questions. A typical event hall of that size could accommodate several thousand guests, so why design it for fewer than a thousand seats? The site sits directly above the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. Workers were bound by nondisclosure agreements, and engineering plans required new foundations and hardened communications corridors.
We suspect the project is more than an entertainment space; it may double as a secure command center or data hub, with redundant mechanical and electrical systems integrated into the White House’s critical infrastructure. Trump even hinted that the hall could host an indoor inauguration. These clues fuel speculation that the ballroom is meant to serve in emergencies or contested transitions as much as it is to host dinners.
What appears to be an AI-generated rendering of the ballroom, published on the official White House government website:
Secrecy and bypassed oversight
The project has advanced with minimal transparency. Demolition crews arrived without notice, timing their work during a federal shutdown when the NCPC’s offices were closed. The administration claimed that only vertical construction requires NCPC approval, allowing it to gut the East Wing before any public review. By late October the wing was reduced to rubble, yet no architectural plans had been released. This is the first major external change to the White House since 1952. Because the Executive Residence is exempt from mandatory Section 106 review, the administration sidestepped the normal safeguards for historic properties. Funding a federal structure with private money may violate the Anti‑Deficiency Act, which bars the executive from accepting unauthorized donations.
Who’s funding it?
Trump insists taxpayers will pay nothing, boasting that more than $350 million has been pledged. A list released on Oct. 23 named 37 donors, many with business before the federal government (www.cbsnews.com). Big‑tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Palantir, telecom carrier T‑Mobile, defence giants like Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen, crypto firms Coinbase, Ripple and Tether, and billionaire families like the Lutnicks and Adelsons all chipped in (www.cbsnews.com, www.aljazeera.com). YouTube (owned by Google) reportedly agreed to contribute $22 million as part of a legal settlement with Trump (www.cbsnews.com).
We believe donors are effectively buying influence: many are under antitrust or SEC scrutiny, seeking government contracts, or awaiting regulatory approvals. Letting private interests bankroll an official government facility opens the door to quid‑pro‑quo arrangements.
Google / Alphabet (Big Tech): facing DOJ antitrust ruling; YouTube settlement
Amazon (E-commerce/cloud): hundreds of millions in federal contracts.
Microsoft (Software/cloud): major government contracts.
Palantir (Data analytics): $800 M+ in federal contracts and data-sharing platforms.
Lockheed Martin (Defense): seeks approval of lucrative weapons contracts.
Coinbase / Ripple (Cryptocurrency): SEC investigations settled or dropped.
Lutnick family (Finance): Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s firm has federal bond-trading contracts. Lutnick’s firm has federal bond‑trading contracts.
Strategic implications
Beyond opulence, the project suggests a strategic shift. By expanding the White House’s footprint with a fortified hall capable of holding thousands, Trump is physically enlarging the center of presidential power. Trump is literally building a command post. Coupled with his comments about possibly ‘negotiating’ or extending term limits, we fear the facility could be used in a crisis to consolidate power.
The integration with the PEOC and potential installation of secure communications hints at preparations for extraordinary scenarios. The rushed demolition and secretive funding, combined with donors who stand to gain from federal policy, give us ample reason to question the project’s true purpose.
An additional rendering of the proposed ballroom, published on the official White House website:
Why this matters
This “ballroom” is more than a renovation. It nearly doubles the size of the White House, replaces a historic wing, and is financed by corporations seeking favors. The normal checks on federal construction have been evaded, and a public asset is being built with private money. Whether the hall becomes a gilded venue for state dinners or a hidden bunker for continuity‑of‑government operations, the American people deserve transparency. At a minimum, the NCPC and preservation authorities should review the plans, and Congress should examine the legality of privately funded federal buildings.
The East Wing’s rubble is now a symbol of a broader wrecking‑ball approach: altering the seat of government without consent and inviting special interests to foot the bill. If this is a monument, it may be to executive overreach rather than public service.
A 90,000-square-foot hall could accommodate over 10,000 people—far more than the 650 or even 999 seats the White House claims for the new “ballroom”. We urge you all to scrutinize the project and support investigative reporting on the East Wing demolition.
The East Wing’s rubble is now a symbol of a broader wrecking‑ball approach: altering the seat of government without consent and inviting special interests to foot the bill. If this is a monument, it may be to executive overreach rather than public service.
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Sharad Swaney & Gavin Faivre | Directors, Centered America
It should be stopped all together and the grounds stay as a symbol of a time in our history WE THE PEOPLE never want to repeat!
DJT is turning the WH into Mar A Largo. While larger the drawings look similar to the MAL ballrooms. The rose garden looks like the MAL patios. Along with the changes to the Oval Office, I think he’s telling us he’s not going to leave. He controls via appointments the boards that could stop or at least slow him down. This atrocity is also telling us that he’s going to do what he wants.