By Douglas V. Gibbs
A 90,000 square foot ballroom is in the plans at the White House, with the capability of seating about 650 people. The current ballroom is the East Room, which seats 200 people. The plan is to begin construction of the new ballroom in September 2025 which is expected to be finished long before President Donald Trump’s second term ends.
Photographic designs of the ballroom show an ornate room with gold chandeliers and arched windows using a classical architectural design. The ballroom will be separated from the main building of the White House and will be located where the East Wing currently sits.
Several donors, including Trump himself, have donated the necessary $200 million needed to build the new room, so no public monies will be used for the project.
A new wing has not been added to the White House since the construction of the East Wing in 1942. Major renovations took place in the White House from 1948 to 1952, when former President Harry S. Truman was in office.
Reactions from the Democrats, of course, have been negative. Chuck Schumer publicly questioned the funding source asking, “Where’d this money come from? Did Congress appropriate it? I don’t think so.” Apparently, like usual, he jumped before looking, reading, or paying attention. His hatred for Trump is so deep that he immediately assumed the worst. He accused the Trump administration of planning this with public money after White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced that the money was coming from Donald Trump and other donors. Schumer’s concern, according to leftist press outlets, stemmed from his concern about the purpose of the Department of Government Efficiency. Schumer was suggesting that the erasure of some federal funding by DOGE was for Trump’s personal use like funding the ballroom. He argued the ballroom is unnecessary, especially when it came to the aesthetics. “I’m happy to eat my cheeseburger at my desk. I don’t need a $200 million ballroom to eat it in. Ok?”
The comment was typical socialist-style rhetoric, framing it as a symbol of capitalist exploitation – Bourgeois excess – something only the elite could afford by leeching off the labor of the working class. Communists historically have always classified lavish lifestyles a decadent, selfish, and disconnected from the collective good. His attack on the aesthetic nature of the ballroom mimicked communist attitudes which considers aesthetic beauty as vulgarity, dismissing ornate architecture, fashion, and other “luxury” items as gaudy, tasteless, and unnecessary. The irony is that like his leftist predecessors in places like the Soviet Union, Schumer is just another elite who lives in quiet opulence, using luxuries while preaching austerity, enjoying perks of his political wealth that goes far beyond the average person. While obsessed with control in the name of the people, he flies in private jets, and is estimated to be worth about $7 million according to Forbes in 2025. Quite an interesting portfolio for a guy who as Senate Majority Leader makes just under $200,000 per year.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
