BOMBSHELL: Trump’s Ballroom to Cost Taxpayers $300 Million

Summary

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Bulwark Takes — "BOMBSHELL: Trump’s Ballroom to Cost Taxpayers $300 Million"

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host(s): Sam Stein, JVL
Date: June 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into a Washington Post exposé revealing that Donald Trump’s massive White House ballroom project—a plan he promised would be privately funded—will in fact put U.S. taxpayers on the hook for more than $300 million. Sam Stein and JVL react to the news, dissect the political and symbolic implications, and muse about what might become of the contentious construction in future administrations.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ballrooom Bombshell

• Ballooning Costs & Broken Promises

  • Trump initially marketed the ballroom as a $200 million, privately funded project.
  • The estimate escalated: "$200 million, then $300 million, then $400 million. Then he said, well, maybe there’ll be a little bit of taxpayer money just for the bottom part…" (Sam Stein, 01:09)
  • Washington Post revealed newly unearthed records showing the projected cost at $600 million, with over half billed to taxpayers.

• Taxpayer Liability & Secret Service Funding

  • Most federal funds are being channeled from the Secret Service budget and the White House Military Office—sources Trump perhaps doesn’t see as “taxpayer money.”
  • JVL comments, “I would wager that in Trump's mind, he does not view Secret Service money as taxpayer money... that's his Praetorian guard, he is allowed to do whatever [he wants] with that.” (JVL, 07:23)

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2. The Bizarre Saga of the East Wing

• Scope Creep and Architectural Absurdity

  • JVL jokes, “It’s like George Costanza is running the White House,” as the project morphed from a ‘small, tasteful’ addition to a colossal structure.
  • The East Wing, initially never to be touched, ends up bulldozed for this expansion.

• Architectural Humor

  • The original plan involved building the ballroom “taller than the actual West Wing.” (Sam Stein, 02:49)
  • The idea of just "draping a tarp" with Trump's face over the construction hole (Sam Stein & JVL, 04:13–4:17) elicits laughter about the project’s absurdity.

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3. Political and Legal Limbo

• Construction Halted

  • There’s a stop order for construction above ground; below ground works continue.
  • Funding logjam: Congress is reluctant to appropriate more money, leaving the site as a “big gaping hole on the White House grounds.” (Sam Stein, 03:52)

• Republican Hypocrisy

  • Lindsey Graham and others initially pushed for public funding but backpedal under political pressure.
  • JVL: “The very people who are, like, totally fine with Trump bulldozing this stuff… If a Democrat were to… say, ‘I’m bulldozing this and building my own thing,’ they would... flip.” (14:30)

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4. Imagining the Future: Tear It Down?

• Should the Next President Demolish It?

  • JVL argues the next Democratic president should “knock the fucker down,” even if only half-built. (04:52)
  • Debate over the “wastefulness” of demolition versus sending a deterrent message to future strongmen.

• The Symbolic Stakes

  • JVL: “You have to knock it down because the message to future authoritarians has to be… There is no throne. There’s no end of this where you get what you want.” (JVL, 05:23)

• Will Democrats Have the Stomach?

  • JVL is skeptical: “My faith that a Democratic president would bite the bullet and actually demolish it is... non-existent.” (JVL, 11:42)
  • Sam Stein believes Democrats will likely choose pragmatism and avoid the culture war fight: “There are other ways to spend money in more important manners.” (Sam Stein, 13:07)

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5. Broader Commentary: The State as Personal Fiefdom

• Trump’s Approach to Governance

  • The demolition of the East Wing and redirecting Secret Service funds are cited as “the stand up, batshit crazy step that the administration took.” (Sam Stein, 06:16)
  • JVL: “It shows the degree to which he conflates the state and himself… the White House belongs to him… [so] he gets to do whatever he want[s].” (JVL, 07:23)

• The Impossible Task of Reform

  • Conversation on “reconstruction”—whether the next administration will attempt ‘de-Trumpification’ or simply move on. JVL laments, “…Democrats… are policy nerds running for class president... They’re not interested in culture wars, really.” (JVL, 13:46)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Trump’s disregard for public property:

  • “He literally took a good portion of the White House and was just like, you know what, I don’t care if there’s laws, I’m just going to knock it down.”
    — Sam Stein (06:16)

• On the futility of relying on Democratic resolve:

  • “My faith that a Democratic president would bite the bullet and actually demolish it is… non-existent.”
    — JVL (11:52)

• On the importance of setting a precedent:

  • “The message has to be to the future aspiring strongman… Do what you want. We will knock it down and replace it with exactly what was there beforehand, down to the brick.”
    — JVL (05:23)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening and Episode Theme: 00:59–01:59
• Original and Revised Ballroom Plans: 01:59–03:52
• Political, Legal, and Funding Challenges: 03:52–05:23
• Should They Tear It Down?: 04:40–06:16
• What This Means for Future Presidents and Authoritarians: 05:23–07:23
• The Nature of Trump’s Relationship with State Power: 07:23–11:20
• Debate on Democratic Party’s Strategy: 11:42–14:30

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Conclusion

Sam Stein and JVL offer incisive, sardonic analysis of a story that—while almost absurd in its details—encapsulates very real questions about presidential power, the misuse of public funds, and the precedents set for future administrations. The hosts argue over whether the real battle is for physical space or moral symbolism, and whether Democrats will ever wage that fight. The episode ends with a tongue-in-cheek newsletter promo, but the message is clear: the “ballroom” saga is a microcosm of the struggle for the soul (and soundness) of American democracy.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Hey, everybody, it's me, Sam Stein, managing editor at the Bork, and I'm joined by jvl and we're gonna be talking about the East Wing Ballroom, which I know this is gonna shock a lot of people, so you might wanna sit down, grab a glass of water in case you need to hydrate. It's gonna cost more than Donald Trump said it was, by a significant amount. And even though he said it was gonna be paid for strictly by private funds and his own money, records now show that the taxpayers will be on the hook for more than half of it. I know we're all very surprised by this. This is from the Washington Post, which this morning dropped what I consider like a mini bombshell, if I had to rate it. Tesla's records reveal 600 million estimate for Trump's ballroom project with half from taxpayers. If you recall, JVL, the initial estimate that Donald Trump made was 200 million, then 300 million, then 400 million. Then he said, well, maybe there'll be a little bit of taxpayer money just for the bottom part where we're doing security. So turns out none of that was true, is all bullshit. And who could have foreseen this?

[C]

I mean, Sam, originally, the East Wing wasn't going to be touched. Do you remember that? I mean, everything about this project has been a lie. It's like George Costanza is running the White House. Yeah, no, the East Wing's not going to be touched. It's going to be very small. It was a very small, very tasteful ballroom next to The East Wing. And then, well, we do have to tear down the East Wing next. Like, oh, the East Wing's already gone. Right. I'm sorry that we have to help these things already gone. And then the bottom kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And if you recall, there were big disputes between. Because the architect behind it was like, sir, so this is, this is way too big. And Trump's like, make it bigger. And computer enlarge, enlargement enlarged.

[B]

Yeah. The initial plan was to have it taller than the actual West Wing. And then they're like, no, that's not going to be architecturally sound. So they tried to make level with the edifice, but you were right, there was never. The initial plan was to have an actual ballroom that was adjacent to. And they knocked it down. Now, I should note that the thing is mired in some legal difficulty and political difficulty. So there's been essentially a stop order placed on construction above ground. They're allowing the below ground portion to continue. And then on top of that, as you might recall, after the White House Correspondents association dinner, when there was an attempted assassination, Lindsey Graham went to the floor and said, no, we got to pay $400 million taxpayer funds. Let's do it. And a number of Republicans are like, actually, no, that's not, we don't want to do that. So now the question is, well, what comes next? And I actually don't know, like, is there just going to be this kind of gaping hole here? Surely, I don't, I don't see how Congress will appropriate taxpayer funds for this. But at the same time, there's this big gaping hole on the White House grounds.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, I, I can't tell you how it's going to proceed. I can tell you the different things. That would be funny if it proceeded. It would be funny if Congress refused to appropriate funds. And Trump did like what he has done with the Kennedy center, which is just as fine. I'll leave it and just put a

[B]

drape over the hole in the ground.

[C]

Put a big.

[B]

That would be very funny over it.

[C]

Yeah. Or, you know, maybe have the tarp have a picture of his face with the, the fight symbol or something so that everybody could see his face when they come to fly into Reagan national, into dca. That would be very funny. But, Sam, part of me, part of me hopes they build it because I want the next Democratic president to knock it down.

[B]

I was actually going to ask you about that. I was going to ask you about

[C]

that day one and not even have a conversation about it just like, nope, sorry. We're gonna knock it down, then we're gonna rebuild the East Wing, and then we're gonna pass a law which governs this.

[B]

That was what I was gonna ask you is what should. So let's assume that whatever they. The next Democrat, the next Democratic president takes office, let's assume it's 20, 29 and this thing is kind of like, what, half built? Maybe, I don't know, whatever. It's not finished. Your advice is just knock the fucker down. And other people have been asking, well, no, we're not going to knock it down because that's just wasting money that we've done. But we're not going to make it a ballroom. Why knock it down? Is that it? Just because it's a corrupt act that led to this place.

[C]

So you have to knock it down because the message to future authoritarians has to be like the end of Avengers, right? The end of the Avengers movie when Tony Stark comes out and he says to Loki, look, you can, you can do whatever you want, but you gotta understand that it's all on you. There is no throne. There's no end of this where you get what you want. And so will it waste money to knock it down. Yes, but the message has to be to the future aspiring strongman. Do what you want. We will knock it down and replace it with exactly what was there beforehand, down to the brick. And this idea of like, clever, like, oh, well, we'll name it for George Floyd. No, you do shit like that and then the next guy can simply name it for Donald Trump. You've got to bite the bullet and create the predicate, which is, you want to try to do this stuff, that's fine. But understand that we will knock it down. We will revert back.

[B]

Right? I hadn't heard about the George Floyd idea. No, I hear you. I hadn't heard about the George Floyd idea. I would argue, don't do that. And I kind of see where you're coming from. It's like you need to wipe the slate clean. You need to acknowledge that this is what he did. And this is. The other thing is like, I. And maybe you can, Ray, on this one, I was talking with some friends of mine about all the sort of crazy things that Trump has done, obviously, in his return to office. And I asked him sort of a specific question, like, putting aside the morality of it, the legality of it, just in terms of sheer craziness, like an act that you fundamentally, when you think about, you're like, how could he do that to me? Knocking down the East Wing actually is the top one because it's not his house. And he just showed up one day and he just bulldozed it. And it's different than like, oh, I'm going to redo the reflecting pool or I'm going to put my name on the Kennedy center, all that stuff. He literally took a good portion of the White House and was just like, you know what, I don't care if there's laws, I'm just going to knock it down. That to me, is like the stand up, batshit crazy step that the administration took.

[C]

It shows the degree to which he conflates the state and himself. I mean, that, that's what this is really about. Right? This is right. And this is Trump saying the White House belongs to him. Right? He's the President, America is his. So he gets to do whatever he want. And this is. So getting back to the Washington Post story, there's something I found interesting about this. So the federal funds which were baked into this were coming from the Secret Service for the most part. I would wager that in Trump's mind, he does not view Secret Service money as taxpayer money because the Secret Service, that's his Praetorian guard, he is allowed to do whatever that, that's his money. Taxpayer money to him is like something that somebody passes in a budget. Now, I understand Secret Service money is allocated through a budget, but I'm just talking about the way that Trump's mind works is like, the Secret Service don't work for America, they work for him. They're his. They, they are loyal to him. And so that's his money and he can use that however he wants.

[B]

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[C]

Do you think the people who have donated money to the ballroom fund, do you think they get any of their money back if this all falls apart?

[B]

Do we even know who the donors are in Donald Trump's crypto? Probably no. But here's the other question. Like why can't Elon. Elon's got two trill right now. This is his buddy. Hey Help us out, buddy.

[C]

So, second question, and here's the reason I don't want them to build it. My faith that a Democratic president would bite the bullet and actually demolish it

[B]

is like, I think it should be non existent. You should have.

[C]

No, very, very, very low. Because I, I think you get a president. Let's. President Raphael Warnock. They come in, even if their instinct is to knock it down, there will, they will be surrounded by people say, oh well that's wasteful. And you know, we should, we could just repurpose it and you know, if you do that, you're going to be picking a fight. We should save our political capital. Don't we really want to increase medical coverage and health care coverage for average Americans? We want to focus on kitchen table issues. We don't want to get into this culture war. And you know, and the Republicans will be so mad about it. But I, yeah, this is my question to you, Sam. Do you think Democrats will be willing to actually fight sort of the Reconstruction era version of Trump?

[B]

Are you saying Reconstruction as in a parallel to post civil war? Are we talking about like literal reconstruction?

[C]

Okay, no, I mean, I mean the, the re. The sort of the de. Bathification, the, the, the attempt to, to totally re. Engineer the federal government in ways to, to future proof us against another authoritarian attempt.

[B]

No, I don't, I don't. First of all, I'm not totally the way you now phrased it where it's like, well, there are other fights to pick. I kind of agree a little bit. I got to disagree with you. Like there are other ways to spend money in more important manners. But to answer your question about like the sort of fundamental theory of Democrats, this is not, they would never do you. Obviously they're not going to pick this fight because there are other fights to pick, frankly. And I just don't want to see a stupid ass ballroom that has like Trump's name on it. And I don't think we're going to get that. But there are real questions about, okay, you come in and there's like half a, half an edifice there and you got to figure out what to do with it. And that's a real question that they're going to have to deal with. I don't think they're going to level it though.

[C]

This is what I want people to understand. It's not about the ballroom, it's about sending a message. And the truth is if you can send a message for $400 million, that is a bargain at twice the price. And I wish I could get Democrats to understand this. You can't, because Democrats basically are policy nerds running for class president who, like, they have policy objectives. They have laws they want to pass. They have things they would like the Federal Trade Commission to do. You know, they're not interested in culture wars, really. And that is why they are a reasonably healthy governing party. Unfortunately, you do need a little bit of the other stuff right now.

[B]

Yeah, no, but. And before we close up, because the other side of the coin is the Republicans here, which is the very people who are like, totally fine with Trump bulldozing this stuff and Lindsey Graham reversing himself and saying, yeah, we'll spend money on it. Who cares? If a Democrat were to come into office and say, I'm bulldozing this system, building my own thing, they would. They would flip. How dare you? They would not understand it. So that's the reality we deal with. All right, buddy. I'm excited to read your boring ass Triad today. Although you do apparently a lot of hand holding. And I'm excited for that, too. So we'll see. Anything you want to say on that little promo or no?

[C]

Boy, if you are interested in how global financial systems and banking works, do I have a newsletter for you. This is, you know, like the Ice Bucket Challenge. We ought to have, like, a Triad challenge. I defy you to make it to the end of this thing.

[B]

All right, jvl. You know what he does? He writes the Triad. It's a must read, honestly, whether it's about boring banking or anything else. I'm Sam Stein, managing at the bulwul. Subscribe to our feed where you get great conversations like this. Peace.