President Donald Trump went shopping Friday morning in Florida for marble and onyx, which he will personally pay for, to be used in the construction of the White House ballroom.
The White House press poll reported that Trump shopped at Arc Stone & Tile in Lake Worth before heading to Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach later in the morning.
“President Trump is purchasing marble and onyx, at his own expense, for the White House Ballroom,” a White House official told the press pool.
Per an afternoon pool report, it was still unclear what was purchased at Arc Stone & Tile and how much was spent.
Trump commenced construction of the ballroom in September. In July, the White House estimated that it would sprawl 90,000 square feet once completed. At the time, Trump estimated it would cost about $200 million, but by mid-December, during a Hanukkah celebration at the White House, he said there would be roughly $400 million in donations, though he expects construction will be under budget.
Trump shared the number while touting his administration’s victory against a lawsuit attempting to halt construction.
“We’re donating a building that’s approximately $400 million… I think I’ll do it for less. But it’s $400 [million]. I should do it for less. I will do it for less,” he said. “Just in case, I say $400; in other words, if I go $3 over, the press will say, ‘It cost more!’ I build under budget and ahead of schedule.”
“They asked for a restraining order to stop us from building a magnificent ballroom. I said, ‘Who would ask for a restraining’–we’re giving them… a 400 million–It’ll be the most beautiful ballroom, and it’ll handle inaugurations,” Trump added.
Trump noted that the ballroom will feature 5-inch-thick glass windows that will be “impenetrable by anything but a howitzer.”
“I think it’ll be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world,” Trump emphasized.
Trump, like many other presidents before him, has already made several renovations and additions to the White House. He installed a patio in the Rose Garden in place of the sod that was once there. He repeatedly noted that women who had attended past events there would have trouble with their footing on the grass in heels.
He also added two nearly 100-foot-tall flag poles to the North and South lawns in June.
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