The cost of renovating Donald Trump’s White House ballroom has more than doubled, leaked documents show. The project, initially budgeted at $1.7 million, is now projected to hit $3.
9 million. Sources close to the Trump Organization confirm the overrun is due to “unforeseen structural issues” and “premium material upgrades”. But internal emails obtained by this paper reveal a different story: the contractor, a shell company registered in Delaware, has no history of commercial construction.
The real beneficiary appears to be a London-based firm, Sterling & Stone Ltd, which has been quietly lobbying for US federal contracts since January. British construction giants Balfour Beatty and Kier Group are now circling, sources say. The timing is suspicious.
Trump’s company secured a $150 million loan from a UK-based bank just weeks before the ballroom work began. The bank, London & Continental, has been fined twice for money laundering. The White House declined to comment.
But the pattern is clear: follow the money, and it leads across the Atlantic. This is not a building project. This is a laundering operation disguised as a renovation.
The American taxpayer will foot the bill for a ballroom Trump might never use.
