Trump touts White House ballroom after Democrats win Congress in midterms

A tour after the defeat

Donald Trump made his first public appearance after the midterm elections on Wednesday, 4 November, leading reporters through the construction site of the White House ballroom. The reporters had been summoned unexpectedly, and the visit was presented as a tribute to the workers. Although the election results dominated the questions, the president spent most of the walk on construction choices. He spoke into a microphone despite a faulty sound system, pointed to the beams and the marble, and signed a massive beam that was to be lifted to the top of the building, adding the word "Love!" above his name. Looking up at the roof, he asked the group a question about the structure.

“Did you guys see the helipad from up top, how beautiful that is?”

A defeat for the Republicans

Democrats took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday night, 3 November. Voters also elected Democrats to Senate, governor and local legislative seats in conservative strongholds such as Kansas and Texas. Asked about the results, Trump did not want to discuss the war in Iran, the 2028 presidential race or a possible impeachment, and he answered those questions only when reporters pressed him. During the tour he said Democrats would damage their own party by starting impeachment proceedings, and that there was no reason to impeach him. The shift in Congress leaves open how far the ballroom plan can proceed.

The ballroom project

The ballroom is intended for receptions and gala dinners, and it occupies the site of an East Wing that Trump had demolished. ARTnews puts the plan at $400 million, and the president said the building would include a military complex beneath the structure. Critics object to the absence of prior consultation and to the opacity of the funding. On Wednesday a ceremony marked the raising of the final beam, and Trump predicted the room would be among the biggest and most beautiful anywhere in the world.

“It's going to be not only one of the biggest, but it'll be the most beautiful ballroom, I think, anywhere in the world.”

Trump also said the marble came from a special vein, and that the quarry owner had not wanted to sell it but liked him. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum addressed the gathering as well, describing the day in celebratory terms.

“Today, of course, is a day of celebration, and it's a day of gratitude.”

Legal challenges and timetable

A lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation sought to halt construction. In September the Supreme Court ruled that the work could go ahead, because the trust did not have the legal grounds to bring the suit. Earlier challenges from past presidents and US courts had questioned whether Trump had the authority to undertake the project. Trump told reporters that more than 500 construction workers were in the room and that the project was ahead of schedule and within budget. He said it would be finished before he leaves office in 2028, and that work on the exterior columns would begin in the week of 9 November 2026.