Aerial photo stirs outrage over Trump's vast White House ballroom

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 17:27 · Archive

An aerial image has sparked criticism of Donald Trump's new East Wing ballroom project, which is now larger than the main White House building.

An aerial photograph of Donald Trump's White House ballroom project has triggered renewed criticism after showing the new East Wing and State Ballroom complex dwarfs the original residence. The image, initially shared by British market researcher Ben Page on Wednesday, went viral and prompted Democratic representative James Clyburn to comment that the ballroom is 'much bigger' than the rest of the White House.

The new structure at 90,000 square feet is nearly double the size of the original building and is projected to seat between 900 and 1,000 guests. Trump knocked down the existing East Wing to make way for the project, which he initially claimed would cost $200 million and be entirely privately funded. However, reports later indicated costs had ballooned to $600 million, with taxpayers on the hook for half. The construction is not expected to be completed until September 2028.

Critics have been vocal in their opposition. Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wrote that the gilded ballroom 'says everything about Donald Trump' and former Republican congressman Joe Walsh branded it a 'complete stain' and 'national disgrace', urging future presidential candidates to pledge to demolish it. Trump, meanwhile, has been notably focused on the project, insisting it will be 'the safest place in Washington' and 'the most beautiful anywhere in the world'.

How it is being reported

• Aerial picture shows sheer size of Trump ballroom – and it dwarfs the White HouseThe new East Wing extension to the White House dwarfs the original building (X) A new picture has shown the enormous scale of Donald Trump’s new ballroom being constructed at the White House . The controversial new East Wing and State Ballroom complex is nearly double the size of the original…Metro · 14 Nov, 17:10
• ‘Tear This S**t Down’: People Are Horrified By ‘Hideous’ New Pic Of Trump’s BallroomThere’s new outrage over US President Donald Trump ’s White House ballroom project after an image went viral on Wednesday showing just how big the building is when compared to the main residence. The image, which appears to be a screenshot from an aerial video, was initially shared by British market researcher Ben Page. Wow the Whitehouse Ball room is….quite something. To put it mildly pic.twitter.com/nfT41HrDBa — Ben Page (@Benpagelondon) November 11, 2026 Later in the day, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) also shared the image. “I hope everyone takes a good hard look at this picture,” Clyburn…HuffPost UK · 14 Nov, 10:00

In this story: Donald Trump · James Clyburn · Hillary Clinton · Joe Walsh · White House · Washington

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log