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Donald Trump has ordered the construction of a $200mn state ballroom on the east wing of the White House, with work on the new structure due to start in September.
The Trump administration announced the plans for the 90,000 sq ft ballroom on Thursday, saying the US president and “other patriot donors” will “donate the funds necessary” to complete the project before the end of his term in office.
The White House did not specify how much the president would personally contribute, or name the other donors.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday afternoon, Trump said “no government dollars” would be spent on the construction, which he described as a “great legacy project”.
“In the first term, I said, you know, if I get another shot at this, I am going to do a ballroom,” he said.
“It’ll be beautiful, top of the line. We’ve retained the best architects and engineers,” he added.
The state ballroom marks the latest — and biggest — example of Trump, a former real estate investor, looking to make a permanent mark on the official residence and workplace of the US president.
Trump has already installed gold leaf in the president’s Oval Office, and earlier this year ordered that the green grass of the White House Rose Garden be torn up and paved over to create a patio. He also installed two large flagpoles on the north and south lawns.
The White House described the ballroom as a “much-needed and exquisite addition” that will seat up to 650 people. The mansion’s current main event space, the East Room, has a 200-seat capacity.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the new structure would allow the administration to “host major functions honouring world leaders from other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent”.
Trump told reporters that using marquees in the rain was a “disaster”.
“People are slopping down to the tent. It’s not a pretty sight. The women with their lovely evening gowns . . . their hair all done, and they are a mess by the time they get there,” the president said.
The administration released artists’ renderings of the project, including an interior image of a massive ballroom with classical columns and ornate gold chandeliers.
Leavitt showed the images to reporters, describing the project as “quite beautiful”.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said Trump was a “builder at heart” with an “extraordinary eye for detail”.
“The president and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organisations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future administrations and generations of Americans to come,” Wiles added.
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