Biographer claims Trump’s White House ballroom is a vanity stunt, not a security need

Michael Wolff, longtime biographer of Donald Trump, told podcast host Joanna Coles that the president’s ambitious White House ballroom is less about protecting the nation and more about creating a venue for massive public appearances. Trump has framed the 90,000-square-foot, gold-trimmed space as a national-security asset, even adding a bunker with medical facilities, and blasted a recent appellate court order blocking construction as “horrendous” and unlawful.

Wolff highlighted that the project’s price tag has ballooned to $400 million and that the Justice Department has invoked security arguments to fend off legal opposition. A three-judge panel, including Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia, upheld an injunction filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, emphasizing that Congress has not granted the executive unchecked authority to remodel the White House. While Trump’s appointee Neomi Rao dissented, the president announced an appeal to the Supreme Court, which Wolff believes will be hesitant to intervene. The White House has not responded to requests for comment.