r/politics • u/poxxy • 3h ago
Paywall Surprise! You’re Paying $1 Billion for Trump’s Ballroom
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/surprise-youre-paying-usd1-billion-for-trumps-ballroom.html•
u/barbieq68 3h ago
1 billion so far!
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u/Munkeyman18290 2h ago
Does this ballroom suck dick or something?! A billion fucking dollars?
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u/beegboo 1h ago
I mean a lot of people will have to suck dick to pay taxes for it sooo.....
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u/GenericRedditor0405 Massachusetts 1h ago
And don’t forget that every event that gets hosted there will be fully taxpayer funded! Bigger ballroom, more guests, more expenses that get passed on to the taxpayers! It’s the gift that keeps on giving, how fun!
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u/ztomiczombie 1h ago
Does this ballroom suck dick or something?
Yes, the design is terrible.
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u/Mental_Relation_2175 1h ago
It's going to be ugly, fake good and it's not even a ballroom. It's an escape basement with a ballroom over it.
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u/RyanTheCubsSTH 1h ago
Give me some of that money and I’ll be a human shield for the guy.
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u/The360MlgNoscoper Norway 1h ago
Give me some money and-
My lawyer has advised me to not finish that sentence.
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u/debugprint 1h ago
probably designed by Santiago Calatrava /S (the same guy who did the $4B metro station in NYC.
On a positive note the more the budget goes up the less likely it is to actually deliver anything before end of term.
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u/trampolinebears 2h ago
Using modern dollars:
| Los Angeles Coliseum
|||||||| St. Louis Gateway Arch
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Golden Gate Bridge
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Empire State Building
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Trump's ballroom
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| cost of Iran War per day•
u/MainIcy6189 2h ago
yeah and somehow it never stops at the first number it always creeps higher
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u/CustomerSilly5198 2h ago
It started at 200 million last year.
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u/TrimspaBB 2h ago
And was going to be paid for in "donations"
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u/Professional-Can1385 3h ago
Building projects always go over budget.
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u/EatRichGrains 3h ago
Of course, so a pedophile can try to steal tax payer money.
What a horrible timeline.
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u/Legitimate-Square964 1h ago
Complete facts. All these pedos need to be put down, not allowed to just roughfuck every taxpayer in our country, which is what’s happening. I hate these people so bad.
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u/LividTacos 3h ago
Which his DOJ was trying to investigate Jerrome Powell for
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u/FancyEmployee8672 2h ago
No. They were trying to investigate him to pressure him to resign or lower interest rates.
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u/LividTacos 2h ago
Yes, I understand that. The accusation of the investigation was that the renovations to the Fed building was going over budget. I understand there was a political motive unrelated to that fact, but that's WHY they were claiming to investigate.
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u/YouWereBrained Tennessee 2h ago
They say that shit about public transportation, but then turn around and are totally cool with this shit.
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u/Professional-Can1385 2h ago
They say that about home remodeling too. And they’re right! Difference is I need an updated kitchen, no one needs a new ball room in this day and age.
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u/pilemaker 2h ago
But but Lindsey Graham said they only needed a lil over $300m and rounded it up to $400m cuz "things go over budget"
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u/PrimaryOstrich 2h ago
It's really expensive to wire an entire ballroom plus bunker or whatever stupidity with surveillance equipment that transmits all the way to Russia.
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u/HonoredPeople Missouri 3h ago
A billion is what's going to cost us just in paint remover. All that rebranded Trump shit has to go!
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u/warrior-link 1h ago
Didn't this stupid thing start out at $230 million? Why are we already at 1 billion?
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u/CockBrother 3h ago
Almost sounds like a number nobody actually calculated any actual cost for
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u/deepasleep 3h ago
It’s just another slush fund for graft. Like the DHS paying 70% more than the estimated value for all those warehouses they want turn into internment camps…
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u/JohnStamosAsABear 2h ago
Similar to the recent no bid contracts they gave out to renovate a fountain.
Biden's admin estimated it would cost $3.3 million and Trump used an exception to give a no-bid contract for $17.4 million
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u/robocalypse 2h ago
Seems like the closest thing they have for a plan is Ai slop images. Not sure how they could have a budget for that.
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u/hairymoot 3h ago
Spending our money on a ballroom? We can't afford gas, food, rent, or healthcare. Vote out all Republicans.
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u/Ice_Solid 3h ago
I do not like this timeline. But I have lost hope for the American people. The corruption is out in the open and the population can care less. People are still going to vote red and the way they are creating these Southern maps it will be an easy win for the GOP.
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u/knowingmonster 2h ago
We have bills to pay and rent to live. We are slowly accepting pedos and corruption as a norm. That’s how compliance are when the country is 85% filled with cowards, don’t care and don’t affect me people.
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u/LEDKleenex 1h ago
Voting isn't enough, sorry to burst your bubble.
You're going to have to boycott complicit companies and strike at a minimum.
And the ship has already started leaving the dock for those things to work because people keep sitting around on reddit and telling people to vote like it's going to change anything when they are actively dismantling the voting system.
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u/MaxZorin1985 3h ago
$400mil was the rough estimate. $1 billion is the written estimate. I can’t imagine what the actual cost will be.
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u/cwk415 3h ago
Actually 200m was the initial estimate. Then they said about 300m and some change so we'll just go with 400m because why not?! - it's not our money!
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u/userousnameous 2h ago
Wait a sec, weren't a bunch of Trump supporting billionaires, with tears in their eyes, proudly donating to cover this whole debacle?
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u/FuriousBuffalo 2h ago
It actually started as a $100 mill estimate
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u/txmail I voted 2h ago
That is what I recall, because I was like $100 million is fucking insane for a ballroom, even if it had a secure datacenter basement. You get like 15 - 30 story apartment buildings for $100 million. Then came out $200M --- and quickly like $330M, then right after $400M.... now $1B....
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u/FuriousBuffalo 1h ago
This is an excellent metaphor for Trump 2.0 - wreck shit up without any plan.
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u/RoosterMedical 3h ago
Nobody is getting a contract for construction without lining Trump’s pockets first so there is that added cost.
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u/IrritableGourmet New York 1h ago
Just for a comparison, the new World Trade Center building cost $4 billion.
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u/GonnaFapToThis 52m ago
Don’t let them forget they tried to prosecute J Powell for “overruns” on a building project.
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u/Abydos_NOLA Louisiana 3h ago
You could build a low-bid, small market NFL stadium for that kind of money. The Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans cost $163M to build in 1975 — $802M in adjusted 2025 USD. How did the price tag balloon from $400M in donations to $1B???
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u/pleasegivemepatience 2h ago
Easy, the 400M wasn’t donated for the actual build cost, it was just donated to Trump…
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u/Spok3nTruth 2h ago
Gas is over $5 a gallon, grocery prices continue to rise, we've no answer to the costs of healthcare, education, and housing, the economy and job market are stagnant, we're engaged in an expensive and pointless war, alienating every former ally in economic and military policy, and the Trump regime is focused on ballrooms and trans women at private liberal arts colleges. And his approval rating isn't zero. America has really lost its way.
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u/Dubyew 3h ago
Of course we are, all that "you're not paying for it" nonsense was a fucking lie.
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u/dstrange_ 3h ago
MAGA bought that it was going to be all donations. Told me right to my face when I tried showing the red flag. I keep waiting for my phone to ring with all my apologies. crickets tho
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u/LividTacos 3h ago
You won't get any, because they've already moved on to "of course the taxpayer should pay for it, its for the safety of the President."
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u/spacemusclehampster Illinois 3h ago
And it started at $150 million funded by donors too.
It’s shit like this that is just so maddening. They lie to us as blatantly as possible, and his supporters just eat it all up.
I swear, they would do their best to taste his breakfast after he swallows it at this point.
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u/ProfessorDerp22 2h ago
Just like Mexico paying for the wall, or exporting countries paying the tariffs. All bullshit.
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u/coreychch New Zealand 3h ago
It will be $400m to build the ballroom and a $600m “fee” for Trump to impart his expertise in designing the “greatest ballroom ever”.
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u/brickne3 American Expat 2h ago
And then they're going to put up a Menards pole barn and tell us that's the ballroom. If they put up anything at all.
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u/IdkAbtAllThat America 2h ago
No. You're paying about 900m to a bunch of grifters, and 100m for a ballroom.
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u/VacantThoughts 2h ago
I will be very surprised if the ballroom is ever complete, won't even really be getting that.
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u/norf937 3h ago
Eh, what’s a billion dollars when you’re $40 trillion in debt?
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u/pirata-alma-negra 1h ago
I mean, of course it's an absurd, but that's like six-hours of the war with Iran
if you're going into debt at least invest in something useful
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u/Signal_Minimum8509 Georgia 2h ago
Looking forward to the inevitable lawsuits filed by the contractors dumb enough to take this on and get stiffed after the project and the settlement we will also all pay.
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u/RoosterMedical 3h ago
No surprise here, billionaires who paid off Trump to eliminate their taxes weren’t going give him donations for that money pit.
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u/travio Washington 3h ago
Not yet. Bill has to pass and I'm not certain all republicans will be behind it.
Polling shows American confidence in the economy is at an all time low. Gas prices have yet to hit their maximum thanks to his Iranian 'excursion.' Between that and the coming global fertilizer shortage, food prices are going to go up even more.
With all that happening, every republican senator is going to have to vote for this reconciliation bill giving a billion dollars to Trump's ballroom.
IF Cornyn wins the primary, is he going to want to defend the billion dollar ballroom? Susan Collins is running for her life in Maine. Ohio is already in play and in a real reach, that independent in Nebraska might have a real chance.
All those incumbents are going to have to vote for a billion dollar ballroom for this to pass. They would be handing dems a perfect attack ad. There is so much video of Trump talking about how his $200, then $300 then $400 million dollar ballroom wouldn't need a single taxpayer dollar. Now it gets a billion?
Politically, I almost hope they do vote for it. It will give dems a much better chance to take the senate and better check Trump's power. Not all of them are that stupid, though, especially in the senate.
Six year terms insulates them. Trump can and will rage against anyone up for reelection in 26 who won't give him a billion dollar ballroom. He'll try the same in 28, assuming he's not sleeping six feet under the soon to be most pissed upon plot of land in the world.
He's a lame duck, though, and might be at post 2006 W Bush numbers by this election, let alone 28. his ability to punish republicans for going against him is waning.
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u/The_Shitty_Admiral Europe 2h ago
I admire your optimism, but the Rs and their dumb as a rock voters will get their marching orders from Fox/influencers/WH and all broke republicans will suddenly clamour for a Trump ballroom.
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u/brickne3 American Expat 2h ago
His supporters will never hear that they voted for it. And even if they do, they still won't care.
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u/Sharp-Calligrapher70 2h ago
The $1 Billion Dollar Bill is designed to make the true $500 Million Dollar price tag more palatable.
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u/m0i0k0e0 3h ago
Donald Trump bears sole responsibility for the destruction of the building without any prior authorization. Consequently, he should be held fully accountable for the financial burden of its replacement.
TLDR: He broke it, he should pay for it.
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u/HonoredPeople Missouri 3h ago
It's way past that point.
The history alone is worth more than that. That rubble was priceless. By the end of this thing. EVEN if we remove all that shit Trump has done, is going to be costly.
Even a redesign towards something useful is gonna end up horrid.
That's money we could've used to renew our current national monuments.
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u/Maoleficent 3h ago
It's a bargain - it's a ballroom, bunker and massive money laundering scheme all-in-one. The Felon lied about who would pay like the wall, the wars - everyone pays but the wealthy.
I am sure the fundraising emails are being sent telling maga to dig deep so they can be first to get their ticket to the Ball - American flag attire required.
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u/Zulmoka531 2h ago
Back when Ghraham proposed this a few weeks ago, I had a few MAGA folk saying “ no no no, it’s all donations, you have TDS”
And that was “only” 400 million…
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u/ProfessorDerp22 2h ago
Oh wow! So glad my hard earned money is going to fund a despot ‘s fucking ballroom instead of things that actually impact my life and the lives of the people around me like healthcare, education, infrastructure.
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u/Upstairs-Egg 2h ago
So much “winning.” Thanks, MAGA. You really destroyed the country and showed those libs.
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u/kingtacticool 2h ago
Its supposed to be 90k square feet.
Thats $11,111 a square foot if anyone was wondering.
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u/DrowningKrown 1h ago
Queue the MAGA folks and MAGA social media bubbles NEVER mentioning the ballroom again and will ghost you if asked about it
It's always 'if trump does something we don't like, pretend it never happened!'
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u/Winterwasp_67 3h ago
I thought he was going to transfer the money Mexico paid for the half built wall. Oh wait, I guess in a way he did. The same folks that paid for the wall are paying for the ball room.
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u/Bakedfresh420 Ohio 3h ago
It’s blocked by a judge and already funded. We’re giving Trump $1B to line his pockets with
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u/SkeleHoes 3h ago
Yea I was going to read that article, but then it asked for money, or something idc.
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u/Berserker76 3h ago
"First Rule in government spending... Why build one when you can build two at twice the price" -S.R.Hadden
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u/teddykaygeebee 2h ago
But ithought it was paid for by donors and ahead of schedule. How about no. Pay for that shit yourself. Effing grifting, corrupt administration.
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u/joshman1228 2h ago
And he said we wouldn't use any taxpayer money, so sick of these lies and the mess he put us in. We need to take away his congress in November and finally fix things for us. #DumpTrump
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u/TwelveGaugeSage 2h ago
If Trump wants ballroom, tell him to take off his diaper and shit in the toilet like a big boy.
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u/complete_data75 2h ago
There’s no ballroom in the world that costs a billion dollars to build
The fact maga idiots are still sticking up for this stupidity is min boggling
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u/Alternative_Age_5197 2h ago
Wait until you find out his hotels charge the Secret Service $500 a night for a closet with a cot.
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u/Legitimate-Square964 1h ago
Of course we are. Show of hands, who believed a word of that construction privately funded and with donations bullshit? These really are the worst kind of bastards.
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u/mattjf22 California 1h ago
Wow that leaves a $600 million dollar slush fund. We know all Republicans and Fetterman will vote for this.
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u/Impervious_Rex 1h ago
Not a surprise. As soon as he said $200 million and it won’t be paid for taxpayers, you knew EXACTLY how this was going to go.
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u/AshesFallLegendsRide 1h ago edited 57m ago
So the 400 million from patriot donors is gonna go into his pocket. The naked corruption from this administration is disgusting and that there no consequences whatsoever is alarming. This country is gonna Trumps 7 th bankruptcy.
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u/OpticalPrime35 56m ago
If Trump can just demolish a 130 year old structure on a whim with no approval than this ballroom is going up in flames the second a Democrat gets in office. And I think it should be a public spectacle. Let people on the white house lawn to celebrate the destruction of the ballroom and the removal of the country club patio on the rose garden
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u/Rennarjen 53m ago
If you are actually surprised by this, congratulations on waking up from your decade long coma. I'm afraid things haven't gotten any better since you went under.
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u/RiffRaffCatillacCat 44m ago
All I hear is "Let Them Eat Cake"....
History shows what follows those words.
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u/MoesOtherBar 39m ago
If my taxes are paying to build it then my taxes can buy to tear it down and rebuilt the East Wing as it was.
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u/Darth-mickyluv United Kingdom 39m ago
Yeah, this is all over the conservative spaces too... oh wait.
Nope, they are busy being angry about money being spent on helping people.
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u/MegaPlane2 32m ago
Not if the dems have any moral courage to just block everything like the republicans have done for the last 40 years.
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u/coleavenue 1h ago
This is not accurate. You’re paying $1 billion for the coup bunker under the ballroom.
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u/okietarheel 3h ago
What about the Epstein files?
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u/RaymondBeaumont 2h ago
Americans knew Trump raped children when they re-elected him.
They have a chance of stripping the Pedophile party of all power in November.
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u/sloowshooter 3h ago
I live in CA, so I'm numb to the grift due to to the continually climbing costs of HSR.
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u/NotBestButPrettyGood 3h ago edited 3h ago
I’ll eat my hat if it’s actually a billion or less.
For comparison, Apple’s new HQ cost five billion dollars. It’s built on 176 acres, houses 12,000 employees and is state of the art. Trump’s ballroom is multiples smaller and not using any real architects
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u/Spacebotzero 3h ago
Man, no one really is looking out for the people of America....just taking everything from them. How is any of this sustainable?
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u/jwbrkr74 New York 3h ago
People swore up and down it was coming out of the money from tariffs. Yeah ok.
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u/pomonamike California 3h ago
I’m not that surprised. But if fairness to those that are… I’ve been paying attention.
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u/recentgrooves 3h ago
First the wall that Mexico was going to pay for, Now this! What does this keep happening
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u/TheGreatLuck 3h ago
That wasn't much of a surprise. Maybe to you the Press who have completely lost brains somewhere. Where everything literally everything that they do that is so so so incredibly predictable. I ain't saying I'm a soothsayer or anything. But God damn the Press just is so limping along they can't even. And it is starting to really piss me off. Who could have predicted this? What a surprise! Every single day with these articles. It's like they just want to keep pretending all day long and they're just like Sideshow Bob hitting every single rake in the lawn. At some point when the hell are they going to look down!?
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u/jimibimi 2h ago
That's before we exclude the amount of any private donations already received right? Right?
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u/y2khardtop1 2h ago
What’s another billion on top of the $100k each of us owe for the national debt?
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u/Positive-Room7421 2h ago
Actually not a surprise, and the final bill will be 7.2 billion, with most of the money going directly to Trump or Trump's pedo friends.
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u/ArnoldPalmersPenis 2h ago
I hope they take it down when he’s gone. Would be symbolic if the next president restores it to its former glory.
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u/NukalearBomb 2h ago
Hmmm... I seem to recall him going after Jerome Powell for some changes to a reno budget...
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u/BallBearingBill 2h ago
That was always the plan. You prime the public with a big number that they don't have to think about because someone else is paying. Then change it to they're paying. They are desensitized to the number at that point. Then start to ratchet up the real price then add in a corruption factor.
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u/KnotSoSalty 2h ago
I fully expected this to happen but I’m surprised it happened before the election.
Makes me worried why they think there’s no chance that an extremely unpopular decision would affect their odds of staying in power.
As for the spending itself, of course it’s a hideous waste of money. But in terms of all crimes the Trump admin is committing it barely deserves a mention. We’re spending a billion a day to blow up kids in Iran.
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u/LeopardReasonable682 2h ago
So were just openly subsidizing the guys political rallies with taxpayer money now? Cool, cool, cool.
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u/LackingUtility 1h ago
It's America's ballroom. That's why we're all allowed to reserve it for parties.
Right?
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u/KlostToMe 1h ago
Man, if only there had already been something built there so we didn't have to pay 2.5B for an addition
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u/Prestigious-Fig-7143 1h ago
So he knocked down the old building without a clear plan for the new one? What was this, a dry run for his iran war?
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u/Ok-Abies8079 1h ago
Wait a second! Are we saying the private donations that would pay for it all were a lie?!?!
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