TRUMP: We have a ballroom that's under budget. It's going up right here. I've doubled the size of it because we obviously need that.
REPORTER: The price doubled
TRUMP: I doubled the size of it, you dumb person. You are not a smart person. pic.twitter.com/6f4acQshov
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 12, 2026
This vanity project has transformed from a privately funded gift into a billion-dollar taxpayer liability tucked inside a security supplemental bill. The optics of building a 90,000-square-foot luxury hall while simultaneously telling Americans that their financial pain doesn’t matter compared to the Iran war is a recipe for a total base rupture. You cannot preach sacrifice to the middle class while expanding your own palace and berating anyone who dares to look at the receipts.