Donald Trump has offered several justifications for his White House ballroom, arguing it would let him eliminate tents on the lawn and create a more secure venue. Now, following his high‑profile summit in Beijing, he has added another: if America’s top competitor has an opulent assembly hall, then so should we.
About three hours after Air Force One left Beijing on Friday, the 79‑year‑old president turned to Truth Social to boast about his construction efforts on his $400 million event space.
“China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.!” Trump wrote alongside a photo of him and Chinese President Xi Jinping outside the Great Hall of the People, a cavernous government complex near Tiananmen Square, where he attended a state banquet.
His own ballroom, Trump said, is “under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.” He added: “Thank you for all the support I have been given in getting this project going. Scheduled opening will be around September of 2028.”
The president’s post followed a whirlwind three‑day trip to China — his first since 2017— during which he was treated to a grand airport welcome, a lavish state banquet, and a tour of a 15th‑century temple, bookended by bilateral meetings with Xi.
