Editorial: Asking taxpayers to foot Trump ballroom bill is a huge misstep

The Seattle Times editorial board, The Seattle Times on May 1, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Less than 48 hours after an attempt on President Donald Trump’s life, some Republicans in Congress asked that the president’s proposed ballroom, now with a price tag of $400 million, be paid for with tax dollars instead of private donations as a national security need.

Both funding sources are ridiculous, but putting the burden squarely on the backs of regular taxpayers is downright offensive.

Trump said the ballroom is needed to provide more space and better security for official affairs of state at The White House. Some Washington insiders agree that it is challenging to hold large dinners and events in the East Room and other spaces, but other presidents have made it work.

Under the Trump administration’s order, the entire East Wing of The White House was demolished to make room for the president’s planned 90,000- square-foot ballroom.

Saturday’s attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an annual private affair in which the president may be an invited guest, not the host, doesn’t justify using public dollars for one of Trump’s vanity projects.

The project has grown in price, from $200 million in August to $250 million, then $300 million and now $400 million.

Aside from it being an unnecessary expense, the entire project is hung up in court.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued the Trump administration under the claim that such a project requires Congressional approval.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, and Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, are two lawmakers who quickly signed onto the idea of a publicly funded ballroom after Saturday’s attack.

Considering the billions of dollars being cut from Medicaid, Medicare and other obligations under the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, having taxpayers pay for a ballroom that few, if any, of Trump’s supporters will ever dance in, is a betrayal of Trump’s promise to America, and another snub to the Constitution.

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