The Trump Organisation’s flagship ballroom renovation has ballooned to nearly $200m, more than double the original estimate, according to internal documents obtained by this bureau. The project, a pet of the former president, was meant to be a showcase for the White House’s grandeur. Instead, it has become a symbol of fiscal chaos and political embarrassment.
Sources confirm that costs spiralled after a series of change orders – many signed off by Trump family members – for marble imported from Italy, 24-karat gold leaf, and hand-carved mahogany panelling. The original $90m budget was already considered exorbitant by critics. Now, with total spending reaching $187m, even loyalists are wincing.
The humiliation deepened on Tuesday when Senate Republicans, in a closed-door caucus, voted to slash $1bn from the Department of Interior budget, effectively killing a separate Trump-backed land development scheme in Nevada. “They’re sending a message,” said a senior GOP aide. “The ballroom fiasco has poisoned the well. No one wants to be seen funding Trump’s vanity projects while voters are struggling with inflation.”
The Nevada project, a planned luxury resort on federal land near Las Vegas, was Trump’s latest attempt to monetise his political clout. But after the ballroom cost overruns leaked, Republican senators abandoned it in droves. “It’s a bloodbath,” said a lobbyist who attended the meeting. “Even his most reliable backers were saying ‘no more’.”
The ballroom itself remains unfinished. Construction has stalled for four months amid payment disputes with contractors. Workers are owed $12m in back wages. “We haven’t seen a dime since July,” said a foreman, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Trump doesn’t pay his bills. That’s been true his whole career.”
The White House has not commented on the cost overruns. However, a Trump Organisation spokesperson described the project as “on budget and on schedule” – a claim contradicted by the documents reviewed by this reporter.
For Senate Republicans, the cuts are an attempt to distance themselves from a toxic brand. But the damage may already be done. Voters in swing states are now seeing their tax dollars fund a billionaire’s gilded party space. “It’s a giant middle finger to the working class,” said a pollster who tracks public sentiment. “Trump doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”
As the ballroom sits half-finished, its gold leaf flaking under scaffolding, the message from Washington is clear: the era of blank cheques for Trump is over. But the question remains – who will be left to pay the tab?
