Oh, it’s going to be beautiful.” Included in the design are columns carved out of limestone, 50ft-high ceilings, space for more than 300 guests, a “drone-proof” roof, marble floors and even a military-grade bunker. The contrast in mood was stark. As many Republicans took stock of the losses of the midterm elections and began to contemplate how the Democrats will use their new-found power on Capitol Hill, the president seemed more focused on his latest beautification project.
But with Congress now controlled by Democrats, the future of the ballroom may not be all marble floors and glittering dinner parties after all. Democratic control of Congress would not immediately halt construction on Trump’s ballroom, but could subject the project—and its financing and funding—to a level of scrutiny the White House has so far been able to avoid. When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will have powerful congressional oversight ability to hold hearings, demand documents and even subpoena witnesses and records relating to the project.
This could put the financing of the ballroom squarely in lawmakers’ sights. Democrats have already sought information from major companies that contributed to the project, including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia. While nothing is confirmed, the groundwork for a broader investigation is already set.
In August, Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman and Maxine Dexter sought information from the National Park Service and Trust for the National Mall about the project's fundraising and donor-vetting arrangements. Huffman also raised concerns about planning, environmental review and legal authorization.
Lawmakers closed the letter to the Trust by writing that the White House and President’s Park “are not Donald Trump’s billionaire playground; they belong to the American people.” In October, the Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to 14 previously undisclosed donors to the ballroom project, asking for more information about how their donations were secured. Questions included whether anyone in the administration proposed a specific amount for a donation, and why some of the donors chose to remain anonymous. As the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Blumenthal said that they were “laying the groundwork” for a broader investigation and possible use of subpoena powers if his party took control of the Senate.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek: "President Trump is moving at lightning speed because we don’t have time to waste in our mission to make America greater than ever before." Newsweek reached out to Reps. Huffman and Dexter and Sen. Blumenthal via email for comment.
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