CLAIM: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) claims that the White House said that the ballroom construction is President Donald Trump’s top priority.
VERDICT: False. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the ballroom was Trump’s top priority in the context of White House construction, specifically — not discussing his wider policy agenda.
Walz is the latest Democrat to spread this fake news, which really kicked off after House Democrats cherry-picked a portion of what Leavitt said during a press conference.
Now, Walz, a failed vice presidential candidate, is peddling that lie.
“Just so you know, the scope and the scale of this, those are Minnesota tax dollars that went to the federal government, again, one of a handful of states that pays more in than we get back. I want to be very clear, USDA, during this shutdown, has contingency funds that they could release just like us. They are choosing not to,” Walz said.
“They are choosing not to, and I can paint any damn picture you want for you. They’re paying contractors to tear down the East Wing, but they’re not putting money into the food bank that they’re setting on. So if there’s a sense of frustration in America, it’s very real,” Walz continued, asserting that the Trump administration is choosing not to fund programs.
“And when the White House press secretary said the top priority is the ballroom, we could not disagree more. Our top priority is the well being of the Minnesotans, especially around food security, home heating assistance, and the things that we know Minnesota does really well,” he claimed.
However, that is not the full quote of Leavitt’s statement. A reporter asked, “In addition to the ballroom and the Rose Garden patio, is the president looking at any other renovations or significant kinds of projects here at the White House?”
The question was entirely within the context of White House renovations, and that’s what Leavitt was referring to.
“Not to my knowledge, no, but he’s a builder at heart, clearly. And so, his heart and his mind is always churning about how to improve things here on the White House grounds,” Leavitt said. “But at this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the president’s main priority.”
Verdict again: Fake News.
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