Overview
- In a Saturday Truth Social post, Trump misspelled Kaitlan Collins’ name and called her “stupid and nasty” while claiming the new White House ballroom is larger, under budget, ahead of schedule, and funded by private donations.
- Public reporting has tracked the project’s rise from an initial $200 million estimate to about $300 million for a roughly 90,000-square-foot venue built after demolition of the East Wing.
- The White House confirmed that Shalom Baranes has joined the project after the departure of original lead architect James McCrery II.
- The National Capital Planning Commission was told to expect formal design submissions in December, with review to proceed once plans are filed.
- Collins later said her question to Trump had been about Venezuela, and CNN’s Jake Tapper publicly defended her and called the inquiry legitimate.