Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Tuesday that the White House ballroom currently under construction would eventually be “blown up,” while later clarifying that he was referring to its future demolition during an “official ceremony.”
Krasner made the remarks during the 24th annual slavery commemoration at the President’s House site on Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
The gathering centered on an exhibit examining enslaved people associated with the original presidential residence in Philadelphia. City officials and advocates have been involved in a legal dispute over interpretive panels at the location following federal changes under an executive order addressing historical exhibits.
During his remarks, Krasner contrasted the Philadelphia memorial with projects and changes taking place in Washington, D.C.
“But let me tell you what will not be here,” Krasner said. “There will not be a ballroom. There will not be a ballroom. There will not be a Kennedy Center renamed for a fool. That will not be happening.”
Krasner then predicted that opponents of President Donald Trump’s policies and legacy would ultimately prevail in the coming years.
“What is going to be happening is in about 10 or 15 years. We are all going to be sitting here with smiles on our faces because we, thanks to Michael, and all of you will have won. They will have lost,” Krasner said.
The district attorney then said he expected to keep a piece of the ballroom on his desk following its destruction.
“And I’m going to have a paper weight sitting on my desk. You know what that paper weight’s going to be? It’s going to be a piece of the ballroom after we all blow it up,” he said.
Krasner subsequently clarified that he was describing an official demolition rather than an unauthorized attack.
“In an official official ceremony. Just so we’re clear, in an official ceremony, we’re going to blow it up and we’re going to get the taxpayers their money back by selling all the pieces as paper weights and I will have one on my desk,” Krasner said.
He later repeated the prediction, telling those attending the event that they could eventually have pieces of the ballroom as well.
Krasner, a Democrat who has served as Philadelphia’s district attorney since 2018, has frequently clashed politically with Trump and Republicans over criminal justice and law enforcement policies.
The White House ballroom is being constructed on the site of the former East Wing, which was demolished in 2025. Construction began that year and is expected to be completed around 2028.
The project’s estimated cost has been reported at approximately $400 million. The Trump administration has said roughly $200 million in private donations has either been spent or committed toward the project, per Trending Politics.
Trump has argued that the ballroom is needed to provide additional indoor space for major White House functions, including events involving foreign leaders and other dignitaries.
The president has also pointed to security concerns surrounding large gatherings that previously had to take place outdoors or at other locations because the White House lacked sufficient permanent event space.
Krasner’s remarks came as construction on the ballroom continues in Washington, with the project expected to remain underway for roughly two more years.
