Overview

• During a Fox & Friends interview, President Trump shifted from discussing Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting in Utah to describing plans for a White House ballroom.
• He later told reporters outside the White House that trucks had arrived and that construction on the ballroom had just begun.
• Online reaction was sharply critical, with posts on X from Briahna Joy Gray and Joanne Carducci faulting the president’s tone and others calling the remarks insensitive.
• The ballroom plan, reported at roughly $200 million, has been promoted since July as part of a broader aesthetic remake of the residence, with coverage likening the style to Mar-a-Lago.
• Earlier descriptions of the proposal cited a 90,000-square-foot space with seating for about 650 guests, presented as a long-sought venue for large state or social functions.