Trump touts White House ballroom in first appearance since GOP midterm losses

Updated on: November 4, 2026 / 3:16 PM EST / CBS News

Washington — President Trump touted the construction of the White House ballroom in his first appearance since Republicans' overwhelming losses in the midterm elections, hosting a celebratory event that stood in stark contrast with his new political reality in Washington.

The president assembled reporters and construction workers in the unfinished massive new structure, where the building's final steel beam was set to be hoisted into the ceiling. The president praised the addition of the ballroom and nearby helipad to the White House complex as a "thing of beauty," declaring that his administration has "beautified" Washington, D.C.

"This is a special structure," he said as workers in hardhats, staffers and reporters surrounded him. "It's going to be not only one of the biggest, but it'll be the most beautiful ballroom I think anywhere in the world."

He praised the quality of the building's construction and its security features, saying presidents have wanted to build a large event space for decades but failed to do so. "This is the most powerful building, structurally the most powerful building they say ever built," he said.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum lauded Mr. Trump…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/