On the 23rd day of the government shutdown, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump’s tacky $300 million ballroom is the president’s “main priority.”
“In addition to the ballroom and the Rose Garden patio, is the President looking at any other renovations or significant kind of projects here at the White House?” a reporter asked.
“Not to my knowledge, no,” Leavitt said. “But he’s a builder at heart, clearly, and so his heart and his mind is always churning about how to improve things here on the White House grounds.”
“But at this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the President’s main priority,” she added.
If the extension of health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expires, it’s estimated that the more than 24 million people enrolled in marketplace plans will pay twice as much out of pocket. KFF estimated that the average premium payment would increase by 114%, from $888 to $1,904, without expanded subsidies. But that doesn’t concern this president, whose “main priority” is the Epstein ballroom.
CBS correspondent Weijia Jiang asked Leavitt, “Can the president tear down anything he wants without oversight? Could he demolish this building or the Jefferson Memorial?”
“Only for vertical construction will a submission be required,” Leavitt said.
