The last piece of steel is in. President Donald J. Trump stood with the men and women building the new White House ballroom on Wednesday as the final beam went up. “We did it in record time. We’re ahead of schedule, we’re in the budget,” the President told the crowd of hard hats. “The whole thing is a miracle, and it’s all because of you.” The beam carried the signatures of the whole crew: “The plumbers, the electricians, the painters, everybody signed it, and I’m gonna be the last to sign it.”
This is no ordinary ballroom. The President said the ceilings are more than 50 feet high and the roof is built to hold helicopters. “It’s drone proof. It’s missile proof. It’s bulletproof,” he said, and the glass walls are heavy bulletproof glass that no drone can pierce. Underneath, the site goes down five stories at the military’s request, and on top sits a drone port that can hold over a hundred drones. “This is the safest place in Washington,” he said, built so presidents can host world leaders and 2,000 to 2,500 guests in total safety.
American taxpayers are not paying for it. “It’s for the country, and it’s free,” President Trump said. “Some great patriots have devoted a lot of money... so we didn’t use taxpayers’ money to build this ballroom.” He compared that with the Federal Reserve’s renovation: “They’re over three billion dollars for a small building... They can’t renovate a building, but they tell you about interest rates.”
The President also talked about the city around the building. He said Washington has been beautified with 83 monuments, statues and fountains, and the Reflecting Pool reopened two days ago. Then he turned to crime: “Crime is almost non-existent now in Washington.” Working with the National Guard and D.C. police, he said, the capital went from a city losing “three murders a week” to one of the safest in the country. “We moved over five thousand people out of Washington, D.C. They came in through the open borders.” He added: “For the last 17 months, zero illegal migrants have been allowed into our country.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum gave credit where it belongs. “There’s our builder in chief, the greatest builder that has ever been President of the United States,” he said, thanking the 512 workers in their jackets. “Just over a year ago this project was just getting started, and here we are today.” He told the crew, “When you’re working here, you’re making history.”
President Trump closed by thanking the workers and pointing to the restored White House facade, with its moldings rebuilt and broken windows replaced. “It’s good for another 200 years now,” he said. The new ballroom, he promised, will be “the most beautiful ballroom, I think, anywhere in the world,” and the crew is invited back for the official opening.
