Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project record has revealed that it is funded from taxpayers’ money.
The Washington Post report has revealed the reality behind President Trump's claims about private funding and the cost of construction for the White House ballroom.
After the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, the US president said that the construction of the massive ballroom and bunker would cost up to $400 million, and it would be paid for by the private donors.
The 80-year-old told reporters in March, “This is taxpayer-free. We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents.”
However, the copy of the contractor estimates for the ballroom project revealed that the total estimated cost of construction was $600 million, and more than half of it was coming from taxpayers.
The project summary made by the White House for the contractor, obtained by The Washington Post, was prepared more than three weeks before Trump’s comments.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle at that time stated, “President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for presidents for generations to come.”
Moreover, as per the contractor’s invoices obtained by the outlet, the federal government even approved dozens of payments to the contractor, Clark Construction, before Trump’s March statement.
It is worth noting that after the construction of the ballroom began five months ago, Trump has multiple times repeated the claim that the cost of construction will not exceed $400 million and all the funding will be made from private donations.
