Donald Trump Brags About White House Ballroom During Black History Month Event

President Donald Trump spent much of his Black History Month speech promoting his controversial $400 million ballroom project currently under construction in the East Wing.

Trump kicked off a Black History Month event at the White House on Wednesday, February 18, by bragging about the "sold-out crowd" and noted that once the new ballroom is complete — estimated in about a year and a half — it will be able to hold ten times the number of people.

He referred to the existing East Wing as looking "like h---" prior to construction, claiming it had "little tiny windows" and was poorly renovated 20 times before his intervention.

Trump boasted that "no president knew how to build a ballroom" until he arrived, calling himself the necessary "real estate person" for the job — despite hiring his former receptionist with no design experience to oversee the project.

“This is a nice full room,” Trump began soon after taking the podium. “You know, we have a ballroom being built right now, so in about a year and a half we’ll be able to have, I’d say, 10 times the number.”

“You could invite some friends who couldn’t make it today, because frankly, this was a sold-out crowd, has been ever since I’ve been president, every year it’s been sold out,” he continued.

The project is currently facing a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argues the demolition of parts of the East Wing required congressional approval.

The speech occurred shortly after backlash over a racist social media post involving the Obamas and amid his administration's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

“There’s your knockout panel, for those that are interested,” he said, pointing across the room. “See that curtain? You open that curtain, and it’s a beautiful funnel right into the most beautiful ballroom that’s being built there.”

The president went on to claim people wanted the ballroom built for 150 years, but that it was his administration “getting it done.”

“We’re getting a lot of other things done too,” he added, before finally returning to the topic at hand and welcoming attendees to the Black History Month reception.

Despite the focus on the ballroom, the event was attended by golfer Tiger Woods, who is currently dating Donald Trump Jr.'s ex wife, Vanessa, boxer Mike Tyson and members of his administration like Alice Marie Johnson.

Johnson, a criminal justice reform advocate once sentenced to life in prison, was granted a full pardon by Trump on August 28, 2020. This followed his earlier decision to commute her sentence in June 2018 after high-profile advocacy from Kim Kardashian. Trump appointed Johnson as the nation's first "pardon czar" on February 20, 2025.