Trump shows off $685m ballroom site as construction noise drowns him out

United States President Donald Trump showed off the site of his huge new White House ballroom, a US$400 million ($685m) project that critics say flies in the face of voter anger over the cost of living.

The billionaire property magnate appeared in his element as he took reporters to see the construction work, barely audible above the sounds of hammering, sawing and clanging.

Standing by yellow railings on the edge of a cavernous concrete basement space, Trump said: “This is a gift to the United States of America. This is all my money and donors’ money. This is tax free.”

But Democrats have bitterly opposed a proposed US$1 billion security allocation of taxpayer money tied to Trump’s ballroom and are using the issue to attack Republicans ahead of crucial Midterm elections in November.

Trump went into detail about what he said were the security aspects of the ballroom project, saying there were six storeys below ground that would house military installations, research facilities and even a hospital.

He said: “The ballroom becomes a shield that will totally protect what’s going on downstairs”.

He added that drones would “bounce” off the roof of the ballroom and said it would be a good site for snipers.

The property developer in Trump was also in full display, as he talked about how one facade of the ballroom was styled after ancient Greece, and another after Rome.

Trump has repeatedly said the ballroom - whose cost has doubled from an initial estimate of US$200m - is being met by private donors, including his wealthy supporters and a slew of corporations.

But critics say the US taxpayer will be hit and the project, as well as other refurbishments in Washington, is tone deaf at a time when the Iran war - which the US and Israel started - has caused the cost of living to spike.

Trump bluntly said last week that “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation” when it comes to the Iran war, insisting that preventing Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon was his priority.

But his opponents are using the comment to paint him as out of touch, with the Midterm elections, which will decide who controls the US Congress, less than six months away.

- AFP