The White House ballroom under construction will include a rooftop port capable of holding more than 100 drones, with five stories below ground, US President Donald Trump said on Nov. 4.
The project would expand space for official dinners beyond the existing room, which he described as accommodating about 90 to 98 people. He discussed future dinners with 2,000 to 2,500 guests.
Trump spoke at the construction site in “President Trump Delivers Remarks, Nov. 4, 2026,” published that day on the White House’s own channel. His comments were the administration’s account of its project.
He described construction as ahead of schedule and under budget, without giving a completion date, total cost or budget. He called the underground work the most difficult part.
He described limestone columns being carved in a Corinthian design, with installation expected to start the following week. A glass passage would connect the ballroom to the east side of the White House.
He put the ceiling height above 50 feet and described using the existing room for cocktails. He recalled being unable to accommodate King Charles’s request for about 350 guests.
He also discussed a helipad, an arch, the National Garden of American Heroes and a public golf course. He described a dispute with a judge over the golf course project.
Turning to Washington improvements, he put the number of monuments, statues and fountains worked on at 83. He described the reflecting pool as reopening two days earlier, following repairs to leaks.
He gave its opening year as 1922 and described graffiti at some sites as dating back 50 years. He also described removing homeless encampments and replacing grass in parks.
Back at the ballroom, he put the construction gathering at about 525 people and described steelwork as nearly finished. Workers from different trades had signed the final steel piece.
“Right now, we’re ahead of schedule, under budget, and it’s moving very nicely,” Trump said. He contrasted that with Federal Reserve renovation costs he put above $3 billion, accusing the central bank of waste.
He described the roof as capable of supporting helicopters and resisting drones, missiles and bullets. He made similar claims about thick glass, including protection against small missiles, without giving test results.
He described military requests shaping the underground construction and the rooftop drone port. He also discussed marble flooring and a basement kitchen, saying a kitchen upstairs would take about 30% of the space.
He attributed ballroom funding to private donors and said no taxpayer money paid for its construction. He gave no donation total or breakdown of costs for the underground and security work.
Trump also said Washington had become one of the country’s safest cities after National Guard and police operations. He supplied no current crime figures to establish that comparison.
He put earlier killings at three a week and the number of people removed from Washington above 5,000, linking them to illegal immigration. He did not identify the periods those figures covered.
He described keeping some people imprisoned rather than returning them to their countries, citing concern they could return. His final immigration claim began with a reference to 17 months but cut off before completion.
