President Donald Trump dismissed reports on Oct. 24 suggesting that he was planning to name the upcoming $300 million White House ballroom after himself.
“I don’t have any plans to call it after myself. That was fake news,” the president told reporters outside the White House before departing on his trip to Asia.
Trump suggested the ballroom could be named the “presidential ballroom or something like that,” though he noted that the White House has not decided on a name yet.
Trump signaled that the extra funds could go towards building an arch in Washington.
“Looks like we might, you know, we’re going to be building the arch. We’ve raised a lot of money for the ballroom,” he told reporters.
“The arch is going to be incredible for Washington D.C.”
Built in 1902 and expanded with a second story in 1942, the East Wing houses the office of the First Lady.
“For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway—with zero cost to the American Taxpayer,” he stated.
Currently, only about 200 people can be seated in the East Room, where many social events at the White House are held.
Trump had previously said the construction of the ballroom is privately funded and does not use any taxpayer dollars.
The White House first announced the project in July. The construction phase began in September and involved tree removal on the south grounds and other site preparation work.