The White House announces a new ballroom of $ 200 million

The White House has announced plans to build a new ballroom worth $ 200 million (£ 151 million), fulfilling the often repeated desire of US President Donald Trump.

The new ballroom will be built with the “modernized” East Wing of the White House, which currently houses the offices of first lady Melania Trump and other key publications in the White House.

The money will be donated directly by Trump and other So-Far anonymous donors, with work in early September, according to the press secretary Carolyn Levit.

Trump repeatedly promised to build a “beautiful” ballroom in the White House, and in 2016 offered to pay $ 100 million during the Barack Obama administration – which the then president rejected.

A briefing for White House reporters on Thursday Levitt said that “a very necessary and exquisite addition” to the White House will be approximately 90,000 (8 360 square meters) with a seating capacity of about 650.

Currently, many official White House functions are being held in the Eastern White House room, which can accommodate approximately 200 people.

The new ballroom, Livita added, will also eliminate the need for a “big and unpleasant tent” to be installed for state nights and other major events – which sometimes include world leaders.

According to Levit, construction is expected to be completed “long before” the end of Trump’s term of office in January 2029.

“The President and the White House of Trump are fully committed to working with the respective organizations to preserve the special history of the White House, while building a beautiful ballroom that can be used by future administrations and generations of Americans to be ahead,” said a statement by the head of the headquarters Susie Wills.

The broadcasts provided by the White House show that the ballroom will be similar to the rest of the White House, with a lavish interior, including chandeliers and richly decorated columns.

“The White House has a history of expansion to meet the changing needs of the nation’s CEO,” the BBC told the BBC. “I hope and I trust that all proposed changes will honor and preserve the existing walls that witness so many history. They are valuable vessels of our heritage as a democracy.”

Currently, the offices are housed in the east wing of the White House in the neighborhood of construction – including that of first lady Melania Trump – will be temporarily located.

President Trump has repeatedly expressed his wishes for a new ballroom as part of the White House repair, which has already seen the installation of two large flags, new gold decorations in the oval office and the bulldozing and the pavement over the famous Rose Garden.

“There has never been a president who is good in ballrooms,” Trump said at an event in the White House on Thursday. “I’m good at building things.”

Trump added that “they always had to get tents” for major White House events, which he described as a disaster. “This is not a nice view.”

Earlier this week, during a meeting in Scotland with President of the European Council Ursula Van der Leyen, Trump told her that “we are building a great ballroom in the White House.”

“No president knew how to build a ballroom,” Trump said as he was sitting in another ballroom in his Turnberry golf resort. “I could take this one, let it go right there and it would be beautiful.”

In 2016, when on the campaign trail during the Barack Obama administration, Trump was famous for contributing to $ 100 million to the construction of a new ballroom for the White House to use to host events.

At that time, then Press secretary Josh Ernest stated that the proposal was not “something that was seriously considered.”

“I’m not sure it would be appropriate to have a shiny golden sign of Trump … to any part of the White House,” Ernest told reporters.