The construction company behind President Donald Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom has a history of massive delays and budget overruns, raising questions about the timeline and cost of the new project.
Clark Construction, based in McLean, Virginia, was selected to build the 90,000-square-foot “Trump Ballroom,” funded entirely by private donors.
The company is led by Robert Moser, who joined Clark in 1997 and became president in 2013.
Clark has been involved in high-profile projects with significant cost overruns, fueling skepticism over whether the White House ballroom will avoid similar issues.
The firm’s recent track record includes the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, completed in 2021.
The project finished four years late and $629 million over budget.
Design defects, subcontractor bankruptcies, and on-site accidents contributed to delays. An audit by the Department of Defense Inspector General documented 978 contract change requests costing $178 million.
The hospital briefly experienced a water shortage in 2022, necessitating $1.1 million in repairs.
Clark also oversaw the Silver Line Metro extension in Washington, D.C., which was initially projected to cost $1.1 billion.
The project ran four years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget due to concrete defects and disputes with subcontractors.
Additional projects in the Washington area include Capital One Arena, Nationals Park, Amazon HQ2, and more than a dozen Smithsonian buildings.
On the West Coast, Clark managed the Seattle-Tacoma International Terminal, projected at $344 million and scheduled for completion in 2018.
The terminal opened four years late, at a cost of nearly $1 billion, and was undersized for its intended capacity. Lawsuits between Clark and the Port of Seattle resulted in a $28 million settlement in favor of Clark.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) has questioned how Clark obtained the White House contract, citing the firm’s extensive federal work and its $4 billion in government contracts, according to the Daily Mail.
Nonprofit watchdog CREW’s Noah Bookbinder called the deal a “no-bid contract” and warned that bypassing a competitive bidding process increases the risk of cost overruns and poor execution.
Renderings of the Trump Ballroom reveal a lavish design featuring crystal chandeliers, gilded columns, and gold inlays, echoing the aesthetics of Mar-a-Lago.
The East Wing of the White House was demolished in October to make room for the ballroom. Donors include tech companies, crypto billionaires, and prominent Trump supporters.
Clark’s previous work with the Trump administration includes the 2017 Eisenhower Memorial and a $2 billion beautification project in Washington, D.C. Critics note that Clark’s participation in high-profile Trump projects could improve the company’s chances of winning future contracts.
Despite the firm’s controversial track record, the Trump administration has approved the demolition of the East Wing and begun construction.
Questions remain about the project’s final cost, timeline, and whether it will face the same delays and budget overruns as Clark’s past ventures.
Clark Construction employs nearly 5,000 people and generates $7 billion in annual revenue. While it has completed many successful projects, its history of mismanagement in public-sector work has drawn scrutiny as Trump moves forward with the White House ballroom.
