President Donald Trump’s effort to reshape Washington, D.C. has grown into a sprawling portfolio of construction and renovation projects stretching from the White House grounds to the National Mall. Among the projects the president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the nation’s capital is a towering Triumphal Arch, a massive new White House ballroom, a renovation of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and rebuilding a golf course in East Potomac Park.
The projects vary widely in size and cost, with some that are said to be paid for through private donations and others using hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds. Here, Newsweek ranks the projects by their estimated costs and size. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
The most expensive project is the new White House ballroom and East Wing complex, which will replace the historic East Wing that was demolished last year. The planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom is expected to be fully completed by the summer of 2028. Trump has repeatedly said the cost of the ballroom would not exceed $400 million, and that it would be financed entirely through his own money and private donors.
But The Washington Post reported in June that a detailed project summary prepared for the White House by a contractor put the total cost of construction at $600 million. According to the newspaper, more than half was expected to come from taxpayer money through the Secret Service, the White House Military Office and the Executive Residence. The Supreme Court last month allowed the White House to continue construction on the ballroom project as lawsuits over it play out.
"We are living in the Golden Age of America, and this Building will be one of the Greatest ever constructed in Washington, D.C. When completed in the Summer of 2028, the magnificent Ballroom and Military Complex will be something that the entire Country is very proud of," Trump posted in response to the decision on Truth Social. He later said the project was under budget and ahead of schedule.
Trump has pushed for a massive renovation of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a massive building that sprawls across more than 15 million square feet. The center’s Trump-aligned board is fighting in court to move forward with plans to add Trump’s name to the building’s facade and to close the center for two years to undergo renovations supported by nearly $257 million provided by Congress to fund repairs.
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