Trump Administration Plans Ballroom Renovation at National Mall, Sparking Controversy
-
“In about 10 to 15 years, we are all going to be sitting here with smiles on our faces,” Mr. Krasner said. “And I’m going to have a paper weight sitting on my desk. And do you know what that paperweight’s going to be? It’s going to be a piece of the ballroom after we blow it up.” He added that the demolition would happen in an “official ceremony,” with the ballroom’s pieces sold to reimburse taxpayers.
Compare 3 other versions
Fox News"In about 10 to 15 years, we are all going to be sitting here with smiles on our faces," Krasner said, according to video footage obtained by WCAU. "And I'm going to have a paperweight sitting on my desk. And do you know what that paper weight's going to be? It's going to be a piece of the ballroom after we blow it up."
BreitbartKrasner continued to explain that “in an official ceremony” the White House ballroom would be blown up, and taxpayers would be given “their money back by selling all the pieces as paperweights.”
The Daily Wire“In about 10 to 15 years we are all going to be sitting here with smiles on our faces because we … will have won,” Krasner ranted. “And I’m going to have a paperweight sitting on my desk. You know what that paperweight is going to be? It’s going to be a piece of the ballroom after we all blow it up.”
-
Krasner, who has previously called Trump a fascist and said he would hunt down Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, made the comments while speaking at George Washington's historic home in Philadelphia during the city's annual slavery commiseration, according to WCAU.
Compare 1 other version
BreitbartWhile speaking at the slavery commiseration at the President’s House in the neighborhood of Old City on Tuesday, Krasner described President Donald Trump as being the “embodiment of hate,” ignorance, and “depriving people of their vote and their education.”
-
"But let me tell you what will not be here," he continued. "There will not be a ballroom. There will not be a Kennedy Center renamed for a fool," Krasner said.
Compare 1 other version
BreitbartKrasner continued to state there would “not be a ballroom” or a “Kennedy Center renamed for a fool.”
-
Under the order, the National Park Service replaced the panels dedicated to showcasing the history of George Washington's slaves with more broad displays of U.S. history. A protracted legal battle between the city and the Trump administration most recently saw a federal appeals court side with the federal government and rule that Philadelphia had no legal right to dictate the content of the displays at the federally owned site.
Compare 1 other version
Washington TimesMr. Krasner’s remarks came amid a separate, long-running dispute between Philadelphia and the federal government over an exhibit at the same site. Under a March 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to remove what the administration called “improper partisan ideology” from public exhibits, the National Park Service moved to replace panels detailing the history of the nine enslaved people George Washington kept at the President’s House. The complete slavery exhibit was removed in January 2026, and a district judge subsequently ordered the original panels restored while litigation proceeded.
-
A White House spokesperson defended the ballroom project in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying construction was part of “long-overdue and necessary renovations to beautify the People’s House” ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Compare 1 other version
Fox NewsThe White House fired back at Krasner's comments about the ballroom project. "President Trump continues to implement long-overdue and necessary renovations to beautify the People’s House as we approach our great Nation’s 250th anniversary of independence. Thanks to the Builder-in-Chief, the White House will be properly glorified and remain in excellent condition for generations to come. Only people who suffer from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome would find a problem with that," White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
-
In a court filing, the DOJ argued that if its renovation plans for the Kennedy Center aren’t allowed to go forward, “the center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down” and replaced by another structure, “such as a large outdoor amphitheater.”
Compare 1 other version
BBC NewsPublished The Trump administration has threatened to demolish the Kennedy Center if planned renovations for the performing arts venue are not allowed to be carried out, court documents show.
-
The threat to demolish the building comes just weeks after the Kennedy Center board voted to add Trump's name back to the facade of the venue and to proceed with a two-year closure for proposed renovations.
Compare 1 other version
VoxTied up in the proposed $250 million renovation are three new tributes to Trump, which the Kennedy Center board (stacked with Trump appointees) voted to add earlier this month: the text “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump” and “endowed by The Trump Kennedy Center Fund” on the building’s facade, and the renaming of the Kennedy Center grounds as “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
7 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
-
01 The Hill Blanche rips Philadelphia district attorney over promise to blow up White House ballroom Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday ripped into the Philadelphia district attorney for suggesting that the White House ballroom would be blown to bits while noting that he was entitled to a piece of the shrapnel as a keepsake. “The ballroom is being built. And it’s disgusting that a district attorney in Philadelphia, who, by…
-
02 Breitbart Krasner’s comments come after Trump thanked the Supreme Court after Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts allowed construction to move forward “on Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom.”
-
03 Washington Times Mr. Krasner made the remarks while speaking at the 24th annual slavery commiseration at the President’s House site in Philadelphia’s Old City, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.
-
04 BBC News Attorneys from the justice department have also asked for President Donald Trump's name to be put back on the building after it was removed in June following a court order.
-
05 USA Today Dolly Parton declined a Medal of Freedom from Trump and Biden. The DOJ says Kennedy Center may need to be taken down. Trump's candidate won again.
-
06 Vox Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump is threatening that if he can’t have the Kennedy Center, no one can.
-
07 The Daily Wire Speaking at a rally on Independence Mall before a gathering honoring slaves owned by George Washington, the Soros-backed prosecutor unleashed an unhinged, hate-fueled tirade against Trump before egging on a crowd of Left-wing activists.
Fact Corroboration
Which sources independently confirm the same facts. Hover a claim to see its sources, or a source to see what it corroborates.
Coverage by Perspective
Source Similarity
Connections show how similarly each outlet covered this story. Thicker lines = more similar framing.
Sources (8)
- dailywire
- foxnews
- breitbart
- thehill
- usatoday
- bbc
- vox
- washtimes