This story appeared in The Logoffa daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news rule your life. Register here.
Welcome to The Logoff: You’re paying for Donald Trump’s ballroom. And it’s getting more and more expensive.
What is happening? This is far from the first time The Logoff has written about the ballroom Trump is currently building on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House — but bear with me.
on tuesday, The Washington Post reported new details on the design’s cost and financing, including an estimated $600 million price tag. Of that, more than half will reportedly be taxpayer dollars — not, as Trump previously promised, money raised from private donors.
The new price tag is also (other) high cost. When Trump announced the first plans for the ballroom, he said it would cost $200 million – then $300 million, then $400 million. Now, the price has tripled.
What is the context? Trump has already tried once before to get taxpayers to fund the theater: In May, the proposed text of the Senate’s immigration funding bill had $1 billion earmarked for the “East Wing Improvement Project” – the theater. That money later removed from the billhowever.
Why is the theater so expensive? According to Trump’s remarks, the proposed ballroom security symbol (and his overall size) has grown significantly over time. Now, according to Trump, it will include “big” underground military complex and a hospitalwith “the biggest drone empire you’ve ever seen.”
And so, it’s time to leave…
I appreciated this reminder from my colleague Jonquilyn Hill that writing things by hand is good for our brains and we should take the time to do it more often. (I promised my editor I wouldn’t start filling this journal for a long time, though.)
Thanks for reading, have a good evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
