Trump Is Living Out His Home-Reno Fantasy

Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has been hard at work making the White House feel more like home, from glitzing up the Oval Office to paving over the Rose Garden and adding more pictures of himself. But did you really think a man who loves gold this much would be content to stop there? Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Thursday that Trump is about to undertake a major home-renovation project: adding a “beautiful” $200 million ballroom off the East Wing.

According to a press release, for the past 150 years, the White House has lacked an event space to throw really big parties, and as a result leaders are forced to host state dinners under “a large and unsightly tent.” (If you’re curious, here’s what the tents look like.) Thankfully, Trump is taking it upon himself to correct this national indignity. Construction to add the “much-needed and exquisite” 90,000-square-foot ballroom is slated to start in September.

Apparently, building a White House ballroom is a longtime dream for Trump — so much so that he reportedly offered to build a collapsible version during the Obama administration but was turned down. The project will be one of the largest White House renovations in decades, according to the New York Times. While Leavitt said the “theme and architectural heritage” of the new ballroom will be “almost identical” to those of the White House, a rendering of the interior looks an awful lot like Mar-a-Lago.

The White House says that, along with his own generous contribution, Trump plans to finance his sprawling new party room with funds from “patriot donors.” Can’t wait to see who’s on the guest list at his first 650-person bash.

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