In a newly released interview that dates back to June 2020, former Senior White House advisor David Axelrod said that during the administration of former President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump had expressed interest in building a new ballroom at the White House.
Axelrod, in a series of oral history interviews compiled by the Incite Institute, released on Tuesday, disclosed that Trump approached him in 2010, post the BP (NYSE:BP) oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico. Conducted by Columbia University’s social science research center, these interviews represent the most comprehensive public accounts of the Obama presidency to date.
Axelrod recounted that Trump criticized the admiral overseeing the oil spill response as inexperienced and offered to take charge himself, claiming he could quickly bring the situation under control.
“I know how to run big operations. I can get this thing stopped,” said Trump, recalled the Senior advisor.
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill began after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig leased by British oil giant BP, releasing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it one of the worst U.S. marine disasters. Obama, along with then Energy Secretary Steven Chu, led a federal “all-hands-on-deck” response, enforced a drilling moratorium, and secured a $20 billion compensation fund from BP.
‘My Ballrooms Are The Greatest…’
After a few weeks, Trump came up with a proposal to fund a new venue for state dinners and international leader assemblies. Axelrod quoted Trump as saying, “I build ballrooms, I build the greatest — you can ask anybody, my ballrooms are the greatest ballrooms.”
Trump suggested replacing the existing tents in the garden used for state dinners with a grand, modular ballroom.
Despite passing on Trump’s proposal to the social secretary, Axelrod stated that there was no subsequent action from her end.
Ballroom Plan Sparks Legal Fight
Trump’s initial proposal to Axelrod was not just a passing thought but a long-held ambition. As a second-term president, his ambitious $400 million White House ballroom project is already under construction.
This project involved demolishing the East Wing to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which is being funded entirely by private donors, including Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR), and others. Trump later revealed that the ballroom would also feature a “drone-free roof” and bulletproof glass, positioning it as a high-security venue.
However, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the White House in December to halt construction of Trump’s new ballroom, arguing that required historic preservation reviews were bypassed before the East Wing’s demolition. The White House has defended the project as a “much-needed and exquisite addition.”
The massive cost, alongside legal complications raise questions about the feasibility of such a grand project.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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