Trump Ballroom Project Sparks Lawsuits and Backlash

A privately funded, roughly 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom planned in the White House's East Wing has begun after demolition of the historic East Wing and is now estimated to cost about $300 million. Senior White House officials and multiple reports say it is already being referred to as “The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom” and will likely bear the president's name, though the White House says any official announcement will come from President Trump. Donor lists circulated publicly are now reported to include technology giants, defense contractors and wealthy investors, prompting conflict-of-interest concerns and scrutiny over financing. Critics have condemned the demolition amid a government shutdown and lawyers have filed suits seeking to halt construction, while observers and social media have mocked the likely self‑naming—some nicknaming it the “Epstein Ballroom.” Trump and aides defend the work as a privately financed neoclassical beautification project intended for future state events, but questions persist about legality, permitting, oversight, timelines and whether the moniker will be formally adopted.