A third of the U.S. White House is being demolished. In its place, a 250-million-dollar ballroom will be built. It will be 90,000 square feet and will be much bigger than the White House itself. Of the 250 million dollars, 22 million will be sourced from President Trump’s lawsuit against YouTube in 2021. Donald Trump says that the space will accommodate up to 999 people and will be in use before the end of his term in 2029.
President Trump says that most of the money that will be used to fund this building will be sourced from private donors. These donors are Google and Meta, Amazon, and multiple billionaire investors, which sounds like companies trying to get power in the administration. It seems petty to use money from a lawsuit against the platform YouTube to fund one of Trump’s ambitious whims. Our country is already in 37.85 trillion dollars of debt as of October 3rd, 2025; maybe we can start paying off massive debt instead of building a useless ballroom.
Our president said that the main reason he wanted a ballroom is that he was tired of looking at the tent-lawn parties! Those lawn parties are still lavish and expensive. The parties of our country do not reflect our country itself. This ballroom feels like a show of ego and money. Why are we wasting money just to let companies get more power in our government and for our president to show his power, money, and ego? This ballroom is not just to show the power of the country, but more so the power of the corrupt and self-important image of the people in our country who control it.
I asked students around the school what they thought about the ballroom and for their opinions on the demolition. “I think it’s cool, but I think it will look weird,” sophomore Owen Reneke answered. Another sophomore, Lily Ady, told me, “I don’t see a purpose for it because I don’t think it’ll be used.” Freshman Abby Linkenhoker expressed, “When was the last time you ever heard of anyone having a ballroom? That’s so 1700s. It’s not like he has any friends to go anyway. If the people who built the White House didn’t want a ballroom, then it shouldn’t have a ballroom. What does it even have to do with politics? The only people who have destroyed any part of the white house before were literally the enemies! He’s just fighting against himself. I don’t understand why that would happen. The last time anyone used money in such a way, they got their heads chopped off!” Mason Locke told me that he thinks “it’s a destruction of our history and culture,” and Emily Catalan agreed by saying, “I think it’s a waste of money,” Nolan Peterman disagrees because he thinks “It makes the idea of the white house as the center for American leadership better”.
Ultimately, whether citizens want it or not, the White House renovation is happening. The question is whether it is just a way for companies to get power/influence or to create an image of the power and wealth of our government to other countries.
