U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 22, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter Wednesday who asked for his response to critics saying he has not been transparent about the construction of a ballroom at the White House.
"I haven't been transparent? Really? I showed this to everybody that would listen. Third rate reporters didn't see it because they didn't look. You're a third rate reporter. Always have been," he said during a press conference alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Oval Office.
"We've been more transparent than anybody," he added, saying that the samples of the planned ballroom have "gotten great reviews.
Trump also indicated that the estimated cost of the ballroom has risen. He previously stated it would cost $250 million, but he now puts the price tag at "about $300 million."
The entire East Wing of the White House is currently under demolition as part of a sweeping transformation to accommodate a vast new ballroom adjoining the White House – a project initiated by Trump. Many of the changes have already begun despite significant questions over oversight, transparency, and historic preservation.
According to several reports, crews have already removed portions of the façade and interior of the wing, and the full teardown is expected to continue rapidly.
The White House said plans will be submitted to the oversight body, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), but demolition has already advanced well ahead of formal approval.
The move sparked backlash after photos of the demolition of a significant portion of the East Wing were published on Monday.
“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it," former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote on the social platform X.
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