Trump Project Costs Jump to $13 Million and $400 Million as He Targets Others' Overruns
Updated
Updated · ms.now · May 13
Trump Project Costs Jump to $13 Million and $400 Million as He Targets Others' Overruns
9 articles · Updated · ms.now · May 13
$13 million is now committed for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation, far above the roughly $2 million Trump cited last month; the White House ballroom project has also doubled to $400 million.
Interior said the pool contract grew because repairs were accelerated before the 250th celebrations and expanded to include a filtration system and dedicated maintenance crew; Trump said the ballroom price rose because he doubled its size.
$220 million in taxpayer-funded security upgrades for the East Wing is under consideration within a broader $1 billion White House security request, even as officials say the ballroom itself will still be financed with private donations.
The overruns undercut Trump's attacks on Jerome Powell and Gavin Newsom over costly public projects, while Trump still has not released a full donor list for the ballroom despite calling it a gift from supporters.
How can anonymous donors fund a White House expansion that also requires hundreds of millions in new taxpayer dollars?
What justifies a 550% cost increase and a no-bid contract for renovating a recently rebuilt national monument?