President Donald Trump is planning to name his new $300 million White House ballroom after himself.
Officials have referred to it as “The President Donald J Trump Ballroom,” according to ABC News.
Trump is expected to keep the name once construction is completed.
The president has not publicly confirmed the name, but has built his career by putting his name on real estate projects.
The White House says the ballroom will be finished before Trump’s term ends in January 2029.
Experts note that the timeline is ambitious given the scale of the project.
“I won’t get into that now,” Trump said with a smile when asked by ABC News if he had chosen a name.
The White House claims $350 million has been raised for the project, above the initial $300 million budget.
Trump has stated he plans to contribute millions of dollars of his own money to the construction.
Private donors include executives from top tech companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, the Daily Mail reported.
The ballroom project required demolishing the entire East Wing of the White House.
Trump had previously said the 83-year-old building would not be touched during the construction of the privately funded ballroom.
Photos released on Monday showed a backhoe tearing through the walls of the historic East Wing, sparking public outrage.
First Lady Melania Trump has not commented on the demolition, despite it housing the offices of her staff.
White House tours are now paused while construction continues.
Trump displayed images of the ornate ballroom and a model of the complex during a meeting inside the Oval Office.
“In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” Trump said while addressing photos of the demolition.
Earlier, the White House was vague about whether any portion of the East Wing would remain intact.
Trump had claimed the ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building. It’ll be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
Traditionally, presidents do not name structures inside the White House after themselves while in office.
President Harry S. Truman, for example, commissioned an extensive reconstruction of the White House and had only a balcony named after him post-presidency.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Daily Mail that any announcement about the ballroom’s name will come directly from Trump, not unnamed sources.
The lavish project highlights Trump’s flair for branding and mirrors his career in New York real estate.
Despite controversy over the East Wing demolition, the President continues to receive donations and support for the project.
Critics argue that demolishing part of the historic building is excessive, but Trump has insisted it is necessary to construct the ballroom properly.
The construction underscores Trump’s focus on leaving a lasting legacy inside the White House during his term.
