Overview
- In a Saturday Truth Social post, the president called CNN’s Kaitlan Collins “stupid and nasty” and misspelled her name while insisting the ballroom will be larger, under budget, ahead of schedule and privately funded.
- Recent reporting details rising estimates from an initial $200 million toward about $300 million, the replacement of the original architect with Shalom Baranes and October’s demolition of the East Wing to make space.
- Collins responded that her on-camera question to Trump at the Kennedy Center concerned Venezuela and the newly touted FIFA peace prize, not the ballroom costs.
- CNN colleagues publicly backed Collins, with Jake Tapper correcting Trump’s misspelling and calling her question about the construction project legitimate.
- Funding claims remain under review, with outlets noting private donations and gaps in disclosure reports, including a reported $2.5 million contribution from BlackRock.