Washington Post: White House routed $500M no‑bid contract to fund Trump's ballroom

newsJun 30, 202634700

The Washington Post reported that White House officials awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for construction of the East Wing ballroom and routed the work through a White House office that normally handles repairs and furnishings and is exempt from typical oversight. The arrangement bypassed usual competitive contracting procedures designed to control costs, and the agreement cited by the Post described the deal as an "unusual arrangement." The Post identified Clark Construction as the contractor tied to the project. The White House budget office moved hundreds of millions into the ballroom project, including an item of roughly $352 million that had been allocated for other purposes, leaving taxpayers to finance a large share of the renovation. Local planning reviews showed heavy public opposition to the design, and critics noted the move contradicts repeated public promises that private donors would pay for the ballroom. The contract and funding shifts create a likely trigger for congressional scrutiny or oversight inquiries, and they raise questions about how future White House renovations will be contracted and financed.

The Tennessee Holler

@thetnholler.bsky.social

WATCH — @repwalkinshaw.bsky.social : “The fraud & abuse is happening under our own eyes.” Again: Trump handed a no-bid contract to a crooked Mar-A-Lago neighbor/donor, who then screwed up the pool and pocketed millions. (And @MarshaBlackburn @SenatorHagerty haven’t said a word)

2931h ago

Just J2

but, that is what the GOP have always done. they waste our tax dollars with their MANY frauds while abusing the American people. then blame us when they get caught.

The Editorial Board

@editorialboard.bsky.social

"The secret agreement was routed through a White House office that typically handles repairs and furnishings and is exempt from competitive bidding requirements." www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

574h ago

Quoting this

TrinityNYC2

This is illegal, malicious vandalism, plus, a serious theft offense from taxpayers. All CRIMINAL acts.

Shipwreck

@shipwreck75.bsky.social

Trump is using a $500M no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

791h ago

Ben4

We need to seize his entire estate after this is over. 100% of it straight to the treasury.

Jeff2

Please let it be the same caliber as the reflecting marsh.

📚Laura Weatherspoon🌳1

My prediction is that this is going to be a White Elephant in the coming decades that will be in need of constant repair. The construction will be shoddy and the result will be a crumbly, moldy, vast building that has little use but enormous upkeep until it is finally bulldozed into oblivion.

Bogart Lives1

...and I'm certain that none of that money will find its way into king midas' pocket.

Quoting this

Keubiko 🇨🇦🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇺🇦💪22

a DDoS attack of grift. No way to even try to keep up.

YIMBYonese Liberation Army7

Many public employees in California will not even let you buy them a coffee because they are afraid of being accused of corruption

MB3

He’s running the govt like a business which never works.

The Rude Pundit

@rudepundit.bsky.social

Oh, hey, look, the ballroom is costing $500 million and we're paying for it and the money is all going to Trump's pals. wapo.st/4vWKurH

412h ago

Patricia

@powermacuser1.bsky.social

Trump promised repeatedly that taxpayers would never pay for his White House ballroom. He said there would be “no government funds.” He said “not one dime” of government $ would be spent. He even claimed taxpayers would not put up 10 cents. Those promises were lies. But Trump’s budget office has ⬇️

37Yesterday

Patricia8

illegally redirected nearly $352 million in federal $ toward vaguely defined “White House Security Measures” connecting that $ to the East Wing project housing Trump’s ballroom. The funds were appropriated to the Secret Service by Congress, not to subsidize a gilded monument to Trump’s ego.

#TuckFrump

@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social

Trump using 'unusual arrangement' to secretly funnel $500 million to his ballroom: report #RawStory

183h ago

The Intellectualist

@theintellectualist.bsky.social

The White House said Trump and donors would pay for the East Wing ballroom. The Post reports its construction used a $500M no-bid contract outside normal bidding and disclosure rules. theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/trump-prom...

161h ago

Quoting this

RogueResistanceKnitter 🥄🐸5

I knew that one way or another, we'd be paying for this. Why do I get the feeling this is going to go about as well as the refurbishing of the Reflecting Pool? It's obvious the felon is not capable mentally to be overseeing these projects.

HuffPost

@huffpost.com

The Washington Post noted that the president personally negotiated some of the costs of his ballroom project, citing records.

173h ago

Lewi Whalberg

@anno1540.bsky.social

1/2 Joe Biden completely demolished Trump yesterday. "It's not just his vanity projects: - Tearing down the East Wing of the White House, making room for his ballroom, putting his name on a Kennedy Center,

16Yesterday

Murshed Zaheed

@murshedz.bsky.social

“White House officials last year secretly awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for the construction of the East Wing ballroom in an unusual arrangement that sidestepped typical contracting procedures designed to control costs…”

92h ago

Deborah Lynn

@mrsdeborahlynn.bsky.social

www.newsweek.com/trump-unveil... Trump has released new images of his planned White House ballroom, describing the project as a “Great National Security Facility and Ballroom.”

1118h ago

Anne S Kim

@anne-s-kim.bsky.social

Surprise, surprise... another no-bid contract! What's genuinely surprising is that the contractor is Clark Construction, whose signs are all over DC area office buildings and apartment complexes. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

83h ago

Mike Walker

@newnarrative.bsky.social

White House officials last year awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for the construction of the East Wing ballroom, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing a copy of the agreement. www.jpost.com/american-pol...

63h ago

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman

@repbonnie.bsky.social

Donald Trump says private donors are paying for his $600 million ballroom at the White House, but he’s actually picking your pocket in broad daylight. I explain the President’s corruption in detail here: youtu.be/RL9k9mnUzPs?...

919h ago

Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

@mirimg.bsky.social

They’ve done that with all the contracts since the inauguration. Giving enormous amounts of taxpayer💴 to cronies and donors while enriching themselves. Have to wonder what % they get back in their pockets from each no bid contract awarded.

131h ago

3 sources

washingtonpost.comTrump is using a $500M no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom links.washingtonpost.comTrump is using a $500M no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom wapo.stTrump is using a $500M no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom

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Washington Post: White House routed $500M no‑bid contract to fund Trump's ballroom

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