Donald Trump has revealed a potential name for his controversial ballroom being built at the White House.
The 79-year-old President's plan to build a luxurious ballroom costing an estimated $250 - $300 million (£187 - £225 million) at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has dominated international headlines for the past week after aerial photos revealed the White House's historic East Wing being ripped down in order to make space.
Trump won't be the first President to have made renovations to the White House, with Republicans regularly pointing out that former POTUS Barack Obama added a basketball court. However, the sheer size and scale of this latest project have proven controversial.
Built in 1902, the East Wing had historically served as a base for the First Lady of the United States in the presidential building, which proved to be a major point of contention when it was confirmed that Trump had given the green light for it to be demolished.
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The latest update on the project came yesterday (24 October) when reports began to circulate that Trump would be naming the ballroom after himself.
According to ABC News, officials in the administration had been referring to the project as the 'Donald J Trump Ballroom' and believed the name would 'likely' stick.
Because nothing screams vanity project like building a 90,000-square-foot gilded ballroom and naming it after yourself.
The White House has since pushed back on the rumour, with a spokesperson telling Fox News that an announcement on the ballroom's name would 'come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources'.
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Trump himself also appears to have poured cold water on the idea, with Bloomberg's Mica Soellner reporting that Trump had 'no plans' to name the extension after himself, instead suggesting it could be called the 'presidential ballroom or something like that'.
At least he still has the 'Arc de Trump' named in his honour.
The demolition of the East Wing and the potential name of the ballroom are not the only talking points since the project was confirmed earlier this year, with several people speculating whether or not the renovations are a sign that Trump intends to seek a third term in office.
According to an official press release shared back in July, the ballroom is expected to be completed 'long before the end of President Trump’s term'.
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However, a report from The New York Times has described this timeline as 'optimistic' meaning that Trump may not get to use the ballroom before his term expires in January 2029, unless he attempted to seek re-election.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of millions raised have come exclusively from private donors high up in the tech and defence industries, according to The Guardian, aka the people who will be using the ballroom irrespective of which president is in office.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Brenna Cooper