Trump announces eye-watering $200,000,000 White House renovation plans

Donald Trump has announced the White House is about to have a dramatic transformation with an ‘exquisite addition.’

According to a White House press release this week, the grand residence is about to get a whole lot grander as the East Wing is preparing for a major makeover.

Officials stated the wing would be ‘modernized’ and expanded to make way for a 90,000 square foot ballroom, capable of hosting up to 650 people at a time.

The new space will replace the existing East Room, which currently has a capacity of around 200, as the preferred hosting area.

The project is tipped to cost in the region of an eye-watering $200 million, with works beginning in September.

In its justification for the construction, the White House said the lack of adequate space has forced hosting staff to set up a ‘large and unsightly tent’ outside to accommodate for additional guests.

The blueprint of the new ballroom

“The White House Ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House, but at the same time, its theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical,” the release stated, as per PEOPLE.

“The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”

Sneak preview blueprint images show the new space roughly mimics the architectural style of the rest of the White House campus.

The construction plans also reveal a rendering of the ballroom’s design, with a gigantic room and elaborate gold details from the chandeliers to the ornate ceiling.

The exterior view from south west of the building

Trump, who isn’t shy when it comes to his love of all things gold, is said to be funding the project alongside other private donors.

While the White House did not suggest a completion date, it anticipates the ballroom will be open ‘long before the end of President Trump’s term.’

The announcement also comes amid the controversial reconstruction of other spots across the White House grounds, including the removal of the infamous Rose Garden lawn that was installed under President John F. Kennedy.

According to Trump, the lawn would cause problems for women’s high heels, leaving them sinking into the dirt.

Trump does have a particular affinity for gold

Since then, the Rose Garden’s grassy verge has been converted into a concrete patio area which White House officials defended as a ‘restoration’ with ‘respect for the history of the White House and for the Rose Garden.’

Similarly, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the latest round of refurbishments to make way for the ballroom would not entirely replace the East Wing but simply ‘modernize’ it.

The wing has historically been reserved as office space for the first lady and staff, but will be temporarily moved until the construction is complete.