Trump: White House Ballroom Will Include ‘Hospital’ and ‘Research Facilities’

President Trump’s surprising new details about his White House ballroom are raising questions about whether he’s building a social hall or a military facility. Standing outside the construction site on the South Lawn on Tuesday, Mr. Trump told reporters that workers are building more than an auditorium for large gatherings. “They’re building a hospital, they’re building all sorts of research facilities, also meeting rooms, and rooms that go hand-in-hand with the military,” he said.Mr. Trump added that the “ballroom is really a shield” that will protect “all of the things that are built here.”He noted that the drone- and missile-proofing and drone-launching capacity would allow all sorts of military operations. “I hate to use the word snipers, but we have great sniper capacity. It’s built for our snipers, not the enemy snipers, our snipers,” he said.The briefing comes days after the Senate parliamentarian struck down a Republican effort to secure some $220 million in taxpayer funding for the 90,000-square-foot addition. Republicans had sought to advance the funding by attaching a $1 billion Secret Service line item to an immigration enforcement bill, but Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled it outside the measure’s scope to avoid a cloture vote that would require 60 senators to pass.The Democratic whip, Senator Dick Durbin, took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to criticize Mr. Trump’s project and his efforts to seek taxpayer funds for its construction. “I think that’s a horrendous waste of time and money,” Mr. Durbin said.Mr. Trump reiterated Tuesday that the project, expected to cost roughly $400 million, is funded privately. “This is all my money and donors’ money. This is tax free,” he said. “Congress is approving money for security. Some of it may go here for additional security. I don’t know. But this building, I put up the money to build this building, along with a lot of great patriots.”The president offered a preview of the sprawling project last month, saying the ballroom will be accompanied by secure telecommunications, bomb shelters, and what he called “very major medical facilities.”

Trump: White House Ballroom Will Include ‘Hospital’ and ‘Research Facilities’

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