Intra-party splitAug 14, 2026

Trump's White House renovation costs near $1 billion, taxpayers on hook

63%

37%

63% Left — 37% Right

Estimated · Polling consistently shows majorities of Americans, including many independents, are uncomfortable with lavish spending on presidential vanity projects and prefer transparency in government spending, especially involving taxpayer funds and corporate donors with business before the government. However, a meaningful minority accepts the security rationale (post-UFC plot, Correspondents' Dinner attack) and views this as typical partisan media pile-on over a president who was elected partly on his 'builder' image, so Republicans and some independents give Trump benefit of the doubt on funding sources and necessity.

Purple = 20% dissent within the right

EstimatePolling consistently shows majorities of Americans, including many independents, are uncomfortable with lavish spending on presidential vanity projects and prefer transparency in government spending, especially involving taxpayer funds and corporate donors with business before the government. However, a meaningful minority accepts the security rationale (post-UFC plot, Correspondents' Dinner attack) and views this as typical partisan media pile-on over a president who was elected partly on his 'builder' image, so Republicans and some independents give Trump benefit of the doubt on funding sources and necessity.

Helpful?

Intra-Party Split Detected

Most conservative outlets and Senate Republicans have largely avoided criticizing the project, but some Republicans reportedly declined to approve the administration's $1 billion security funding request, suggesting limited but notable GOP unease over costs and lack of congressional process.

Left says

•The lack of a single, transparent accounting of costs across the ballroom, helipad, Rose Garden and security upgrades raises concerns about accountability, especially as estimates have quietly ballooned from $200 million to over $900 million.
•Routing funds through a little-known maintenance account tied to the Executive Residence, rather than seeking congressional approval as required for major White House alterations, bypasses established oversight processes.
•A federal appeals court already found that Trump needs congressional approval to proceed with above-ground ballroom construction, suggesting the administration is sidestepping normal checks.
•Reporting suggests taxpayer dollars are covering roughly half the ballroom's cost even though the administration originally promised private donors would fund it entirely, raising questions about who benefits from corporate donations from companies like Google, Apple and Amazon.

Right says

•The White House frames the renovations as long-overdue modernization and security upgrades, with Trump positioning himself as a builder solving real infrastructure problems at an aging complex.
•Officials point to a foiled plot to attack the White House during a UFC event and last year's Correspondents' Dinner attack as concrete justification for hardened security infrastructure, bunkers and screening facilities.
•Much of the ballroom funding is intended to come from private donors and corporations rather than taxpayers, and Trump has personally said he would help cover certain costs like the granite pathway.
•Rising cost estimates reflect a larger, higher-quality project than originally proposed, not necessarily mismanagement, according to Trump's own explanation for the price increase.

Common Take

High Consensus

The overall cost of Trump's White House construction projects has risen sharply from an initial $200 million estimate to a reported $900 million or more.
A federal appeals court ruled that the above-ground ballroom construction requires congressional approval before proceeding.
The funding mix includes some combination of private donations, executive branch funds and taxpayer money, and the exact breakdown remains disputed and unclear.
The renovations include significant security-related construction, such as bunkers, medical facilities and hardened infrastructure, in addition to aesthetic changes like the ballroom and Rose Garden redesign.

Helpful?

The Arguments

Left argues

Routing hundreds of millions of dollars through a little-known Executive Residence maintenance account, rather than seeking direct congressional appropriation, circumvents the established process for approving major White House alterations and undermines transparency.

Right counters

The administration argues these are legitimate executive-branch funds and private donations combined for a security-driven modernization project, and that court challenges over process don't prove any funds were illegally spent.

Right argues

The White House has pointed to concrete, documented threats—including a foiled plot to attack the UFC event and the Correspondents' Dinner attack—as real justification for hardened security infrastructure, bunkers, and screening facilities that any responsible administration would prioritize.

Left counters

Citing security threats doesn't explain why costs quietly quadrupled from $200 million to over $900 million, nor why a ballroom marketed as gilded and Rome-inspired needs to be bundled with national security justifications to avoid oversight.

Left argues

The administration promised the ballroom would be entirely privately funded by corporate donors like Google, Apple, and Amazon, yet reporting now shows taxpayers are covering roughly half the cost—raising real questions about what those corporate donors are buying and why public money is filling the gap.

Right counters

Much of the project remains donor-funded, and Trump himself has said he'll personally cover elements like the granite pathway; rising estimates reflect a bigger, higher-quality build rather than evidence that donor commitments were broken.

Right argues

Trump's own explanation—that costs rose because the project became roughly twice the size and higher quality than originally proposed—is a straightforward, plausible account of scope creep common in large construction projects, not necessarily evidence of malfeasance.

Left counters

A doubling in size and quality doesn't explain the lack of a single transparent public accounting, or why a federal appeals court found the administration needed congressional approval it tried to bypass.

Left argues

A federal appeals court has already ruled that Trump needs congressional approval for above-ground ballroom construction, which suggests the administration's funding maneuvers are a deliberate attempt to sidestep the checks Congress is supposed to provide over executive spending.

Right counters

The administration is appealing to the Supreme Court through normal legal channels rather than ignoring the ruling, and ongoing litigation reflects a genuine legal dispute over authority, not lawless defiance.

Challenge Questions

These questions target genuine internal contradictions — meant to provoke honest reflection.

Right asks Left

“If the security threats cited by the administration—like the foiled UFC plot and the Correspondents' Dinner attack—are real, at what point does demanding line-by-line congressional pre-approval for classified security infrastructure become a security risk in itself?”

Left asks Right

“If the ballroom was always going to be substantially taxpayer-funded and tied to security needs, why did the administration initially promise private donors would cover it entirely, and what does that initial framing suggest about transparency going forward?”

Outlier Report

Left Fringe

Rolling Stone and some progressive commentators (e.g., writers at The Nation) frame this as outright corruption or 'gaudy' self-enrichment, representing maybe 15-20% of the left that pushes the most inflammatory framing versus the more measured 'oversight and transparency' concern held by most Democrats and independents.

Right Fringe

MAGA-aligned commentators like Charlie Kirk or Truth Social loyalists who fully embrace Trump's 'Builder-in-Chief' framing without question represent roughly 20-25% of the right; most mainstream Republicans and conservative outlets like the Daily Caller report the facts relatively straight without heavy defensive spin.

Noise Assessment

Moderate-to-high; much of the loudest reaction (Rolling Stone tweets, Truth Social posts, cable news framing) is performative outrage or defense aimed at base mobilization, while polling suggests most Americans have modest, transparency-focused concerns rather than the extreme positions dominating social media.

Sources (6)

Axios

Trump's White House remodel tab keeps growing

The <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/12/trumps-ballroom-costs-are-rising-what-we-know-about-the-secret-underground-bunker" target="_blank">East Wing</a> is gone, a new helipad is spreading across the lawn, and scaffolding wraps the White House's front columns, but the price tags for President <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump's</a> renovations are far less obvious.The big picture: The muddled mix of funding streams — whether from private donors, the president himself or taxpayers — has fueled <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/16/trump-white-house-ballroom-ethics-donors" target="_blank">ethical questions</a> about who's footing the ever-rising bill for the HGTV-reminiscent White House redesign.<hr />The latest: Senate Democrats <a href="https://www.budget.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_gao_audit_of_white_house_ballroom.pdf" target="_blank">urged</a> the Government Accountability Office to audit the ballroom project's scope and cost Wednesday.<ul><li>One tally, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/08/12/trump-administration-set-spend-least-900-million-white-house-construction/" target="_blank">reported</a> exclusively by The Washington Post this week, says the president's construction projects, including upgrades to Lafayette Square and other renovations, could cost at least $927 million.</li><li>The lawmakers cited a lack of transparency and "limited congressional oversight, meaningful public input, and adherence to established federal processes."</li></ul>What they're saying: White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement that Trump "continues to implement long-overdue and necessary renovations," calling him the "Builder-in-Chief."<ul><li>As the administration <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/16/trump-ballroom-construction-security-concerns" target="_blank">has argued</a> in court, Ingle said the East Wing project is "inextricably tied" to security concerns, pointing to an alleged plot to attack this summer's UFC fight on White House grounds.</li><li>A senior administration official said the ballroom would be built with private donations, not tax dollars. Reported donors <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/ballroom-donors-white-house-trump" target="_blank">include</a> Google, Apple, Amazon and Lockheed Martin, among several other household names.</li></ul>Zoom in: While critics demand more specifics on the costs and sources of funding, one thing is clear: 18 months in, Trump's construction itch hasn't eased, and the price tag keeps on growing with it.Zoom out: While the East Wing's demolition might be the most head-turning change, an unclear cascade of cash is being poured into other projects, as well, including: <ul><li>A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/16/us/politics/white-house-helipad-trump.html" target="_blank">helipad</a> for the new Marine One model, with Lockheed Martin covering up to <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-says-sikorsky-is-paying-for-a-beautiful-granite-helipad-at-the-white-house" target="_blank">$6 million</a>.</li><li>The Rose Garden re-do, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/24/us/trump-dc-costs-ballroom-arch-pool.html?ae=oa" target="_blank">reportedly</a> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-rose-garden-club-e862eba55133195f0297c3595ba4122f" target="_blank">cost</a> around $2 million, covered by private donations.</li><li>A granite pathway to the Oval Office that Trump said he was <a href="https://x.com/edokeefe/status/2036527006788030699" target="_blank">paying</a> for — though an investigation by The Atlantic said <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/06/national-parks-trump-white-house-renovations/687700/" target="_blank">otherwise</a>.</li></ul>Zoom in: The <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/07/trump-ballroom-project-blocked-appeals-court" target="_blank">stalled</a> ballroom project's price tag has risen rapidly after it was <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/07/the-white-house-announces-white-house-ballroom-construction-to-begin/" target="_blank">initially</a> pitched at roughly $200 million last year. <ul><li>Trump then <a href="https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-remarks-election-executive-order-march-31-2026/#40" target="_blank">told</a> reporters earlier this year the cost could be between $300 million or $400 million, "depending on finishes," like "very expensive marble."</li><li>He <a href="https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/116527410501835336" target="_blank">defended</a> the price hike in May, writing on Truth Social the estimate doubled because "it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal."</li><li>The Washington Post, citing a summary compiled by the contractor behind the project, reported the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/06/16/records-reveal-600m-estimate-trumps-ballroom-project-with-half-taxpayers/" target="_blank">estimated</a> cost was closer to $600 million in June — and that taxpayer dollars were being funneled to the project.</li></ul>Catch up quick: <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/07/trump-ballroom-project-blocked-appeals-court" target="_blank">Above-ground construction</a> of the ballroom has been blocked by judges, who say Trump needs congressional approval to proceed.Friction point: The administration also pitched lawmakers on a $1 billion security plan for the renovation project, Axios' Alex Isenstadt <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/12/white-house-ballroom-east-wing-secret-service" target="_blank">previously reported</a>, including $220 million for "hardening" security and $180 million for a new visitor screening facility.<ul><li>Republicans didn't <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5908157-senate-republicans-strip-ballroom-funding/" target="_blank">bite</a> — and the funding has continued to be a source of scrutiny on the Hill. </li><li>In June, Democrats <a href="https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/murray-murphy-urge-watchdog-to-investigate-trump-admins-use-of-taxpayer-dollars-for-trumps-ballroom" target="_blank">raised</a> <a href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-demands-answers-after-trump-administration-redirects-taxpayer-dollars-to-fund-white-house-ballroom-project" target="_blank">questions</a> about why One Big Beautiful Bill <a href="https://openomb.org/file/11524925" target="_blank">funds</a> for the Secret Service <a href="https://openomb.org/file/11524924" target="_blank">were</a> directed to White House security. </li></ul>Worth noting: Trump's smaller redecorating touches are also indicative of his approach to his temporary home. <ul><li>He's erected a wall of plaques honoring some former presidents — and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/24/trump-biden-autopen-white-house-portrait" target="_blank">mocking others</a>. The Oval Office has gradually grown more <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/01/trump-oval-office-gold-before-after-decor-white-house-makeover" target="_blank">gilded</a> and the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/21/trump-oval-office-white-house-makeover-biden" target="_blank">artwork</a> has changed.</li><li>Plus, he's <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/12/trump-kennedy-center-renovation-plans" target="_blank">not stopping</a> on Penn. Ave.</li></ul>Go deeper: <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/13/trump-haberman-legacy-projects-behind-the-curtain" target="_blank">Haberman: 70% of Trump's brain on monuments</a>

Axios

Maggie Haberman says 70% of Trump's attention goes to monuments, renovations and legacy

The New York Times' <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/22/scoop-regime-change-sells-500000-on-track-for-nonfiction-bestseller-of-26" target="_blank">Maggie Haberman</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/bw618CL6Vfo" target="_blank">tells me</a> 70% of President Trump's mindshare ("maybe plus or minus 5%") goes to his gilding, construction, renovation, renaming and tribute projects.<ul><li>"He is spending a huge amount of energy, mental and otherwise, on these renovation projects, beautification projects around Washington, and then monuments to self," Haberman told me for <a href="https://youtu.be/bw618CL6Vfo" target="_blank">Axios' "Behind the Curtain" video series</a>. "[T]here is no precedent in U.S. history of a sitting president devising such endeavors in their own name."</li></ul><hr />Why it matters: That mental map by Haberman — co-author with Jonathan Swan of "<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Regime-Change/Maggie-Haberman/9781668067246" target="_blank">Regime Change</a>," which has sold 600,000 copies and on Wednesday hit seven weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/" target="_blank">bestseller list</a> — is a Rosetta Stone to what motivates and fascinates Trump. <ul><li>"What interests him are things that you can see and touch," she told Axios.</li></ul>The backstory: Haberman had earlier made the 70% estimate about Trump's mindshare during <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-maggie-haberman.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5FA.3SzC.stIiNHUyc9sd&smid=url-share" target="_blank">an interview</a> with her Times colleague Ezra Klein, saying that it's "a legacy thing."<ul><li>Maggie and I worked together in the early years of Politico. Her relentless reporting has made the New York City native a top expert on how Trump thinks. So I asked her to unpack her eye-opening stat:</li></ul>Zoom in: Haberman and Swan visited Trump in the Oval Office in March for an hourlong interview for the book, which is now in eight printings and is the nonfiction bestseller of the year.<ul><li>"It was very clear," Haberman recalled, "what his mind was on while we were there. And what it was not really on was the war," which he'd launched just over two weeks earlier.</li><li>"He didn't really want to talk about that. He didn't really want to talk about policy specifics. He wanted to describe himself as winning. And he wanted to show us how he had remade Washington."</li></ul>Behind the scenes: "You would think that on the 17th day of the war that he would have maps of the Middle East or maps of troop deployments — who knows," Haberman continued. "He picks up these pictures, and [they're] of maple trees. And he says: 'I am choosing maple trees for the White House. I am good at picking trees.' I'm paraphrasing here, but that is pretty much what he said."<ul><li>"Under that were designs of the ballroom. And he starts talking to us about the columns and how some of the columns are evocative of Rome. And then on the other side, the columns are evocative of Athens. And he's happy that they are a little bit either wider or more spaced apart or both than the columns at the Supreme Court. And that was like the first 15 minutes of this hour that we had."</li></ul>Go deeper: <a href="https://youtu.be/bw618CL6Vfo" target="_blank">Share the video</a>.

Axios

Trump's ballroom costs are rising. What we know about the secret underground bunker

The development costs of President Trump's <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/03/30/trump-ballroom-east-wing-military-complex" target="_blank">White House ballroom</a> keep rising — as does speculation about what the finished project, including its underground complex, will look like.The big picture: <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump</a>'s ballroom project is more than a simple remodel of the East Wing. It's a complete overhaul featuring what appears to be a military-grade underground bunker, meant to protect and secure the president.<hr /><ul><li>The project remains in legal limbo after a federal appeals court <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28543252-ballroom-appeals-decision/" target="_blank">ruled in August</a> that Trump's ballroom plans need congressional approval. <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/07/trump-ballroom-project-blocked-appeals-court" target="_blank">Trump</a> said he plans to ask the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.</li></ul>By the numbers: The ballroom is expected to cost around $600 million — with about half of that coming from taxpayer dollars, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/06/16/records-reveal-600m-estimate-trumps-ballroom-project-with-half-taxpayers/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported. <ul><li>It's an increase from the White House's initial <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/07/the-white-house-announces-white-house-ballroom-construction-to-begin/?query-11-page=3" target="_blank">$200 million </a>estimate, which they said would come from private donors. That amount was later amended to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/07/trump-white-house-ballroom-appeals-court.html" target="_blank">$400 million</a> and then $600 million. </li></ul>Trump's administration is also planning to spend at least an additional $300 million on other projects around the White House complex, including a helipad, a visitor screening center and changes to the Rose Garden, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/08/12/trump-administration-set-spend-least-900-million-white-house-construction/" target="_blank">Post</a> reported.<ul><li>In May, the<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ballroom-construction-east-wing-275f8034ad3817ca78aa085d1c202c32" target="_blank"> Trump administration</a> reportedly suggested asking taxpayers for $1 billion for security upgrades across the entire White House campus, though lawmakers seemed unconvinced by the request.</li></ul>Reality check: Specifics about the ballroom and its underground complex remain unclear, as many of the details remain classified.<ul><li>Trump himself has pointed to the "massive complex" being built underneath the ballroom.</li></ul>Read what we know below.<h2>What we know about the underground bunker</h2><img src="https://images.axios.com/80KhzdqdlDtrKSi5guO7YO0matM=/2026/08/12/1786556874362.jpeg" /> <div>Architect Shalom Baranes presents plans for President Trump's proposed White House ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commission in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 8. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</div>Zoom out: The size of the underground aspect of the projects lacks clarity, though the National Capital Planning Commission's <a href="https://www.ncpc.gov/docs/actions/2026March/8733_East_Wing_Modernization_Project_Staff_Report_Mar2026.pdf" target="_blank">official plan </a>suggests it ranges around 22,000 square feet.<ul><li>"The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that's under construction, and we're doing very well," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHYNIijFLd0&t=53" target="_blank">Trump said in April</a>.</li><li>Trump said the complex goes <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-reveals-new-details-bunker-like-ballroom-with-drone-base-2026-05-19/" target="_blank">six stories deep</a> and that the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-reveals-new-details-bunker-like-ballroom-with-drone-base-2026-05-19/" target="_blank">ballroom itself</a> features a "drone-proof" roof and a "drone port."</li><li>He also said the bunker will have bomb shelters and medical facilities.</li></ul>The underground complex mostly aims to modify and potentially replace the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), which is a secure underground bunker built during World War II that has been updated over decades. <ul><li>The PEOC has been used for short-term shelter for officials. It was used to protect Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice during the September 11 attacks.</li><li>Trump was protected there too during 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd, per the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/us/politics/trump-ballroom-military-bunker.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.</li></ul><h2>What the entire ballroom project has</h2><img src="https://images.axios.com/fiXNd8dBwq_5_zekX78te5NO-os=/2026/08/12/1786556705393.jpeg" /> <div>Construction continues on President Trump's White House ballroom and a new South Lawn helipad in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 10. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images</div>The entire ballroom project includes features that aim to protect the president.<ul><li>Specifics about the ballroom project have been spelled out in a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645.82.0.pdf" target="_blank">lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation</a> against the project's construction.</li><li>The entire facility has "military-grade" vents for air conditioning, hospital and medical facilities, "top secret "military installations, and "bomb shelters," the filing says. </li></ul>The massive complex has been described in lawsuits as a national security facility.<ul><li>The project includes "bunkers, bomb-shelters, and military and medical infrastructure," per the <a href="https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/08/26-5123-2187096.pdf" target="_blank">D.C. Circuit</a>.</li><li>Government officials have described the security features as necessary to defend the president from drones, missiles and biohazards, per <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ballroom-court-ruling-1528247275ec6103da892d271d4ee883" target="_blank">AP</a>.</li></ul><h2>Why the White House wants the renovations</h2>What they're saying: "The East Wing Modernization Project is inextricably tied to the security of the President, the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets," Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, tells Axios.<ul><li>The White House has pointed to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-8-men-conspiracies-related-plot-attack-ufc-freedom-250-event" target="_blank">foiled attack plot</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-8-men-conspiracies-related-plot-attack-ufc-freedom-250-event" target="_blank"> </a>planned for the White House's UFC fight in July and the <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/26/white-house-correspondents-dinner-whcd-shooting" target="_blank">White House Correspondents Dinner</a> attack as reasons to add security upgrades.</li></ul>Zoom out: Matthew Quinn, deputy director of the Secret Service, wrote in a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645.69.1.pdf" target="_blank">court filing in April</a> that the ballroom will help keep the president safe.<ul><li>"An above-ground slab and topping structure is needed to ensure that key underground structures with a security purpose are properly protected and strengthened," he wrote.</li><li>"Leaving the project site unfinished imperils the ability of the Secret Service to meet its statutory mission to protect the President."</li></ul>Go deeper: <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/19/white-house-trump-changes-photos" target="_blank">White House makeover under Trump: See all the proposed changes </a>Avery Lotz contributed to this report.

Daily Caller

REPORT: White House Construction Projects Reportedly Swell To At Least $900 Million

White House Construction Projects Swell To At Least $900 Million: REPORT

Democracy Now

Headlines for August 6, 2026

Trump Blasts Democratic Nominee for Senate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Pledges to “Make Dobbs Permanent” Nationwide, Senate Votes to Confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz to Lead the CDC, New Mexico Sues the DOJ for “Stonewalling” State Probe into Epstein, Federal Lawsuit Accuses Trump Admin of Targeting Children for Deportation, Authorities in Ceuta Looking to Transfer Unaccompanied Minors to Mainland Spain, NYT: CIA Secretly Established New Cuba Task Force, Iran and Oman Agree on Coordinates for Shipping Corridor Through the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli Prosecutors Indict Settler Yinon Levi over the Killing of Palestinian Activist Awdah Hathaleen, Israeli Military Conducts Targeted Strikes in Southern Lebanon, Head of Russian Drone Manufacturer Critically Injured in Car Bombing, Austria Breaks National Heat Record for Second Time in Two Days, Forecasts Suggest El Niño Could Drive Roughly 50 Million People into Acute Hunger by 2027, Fuego Volcano in Guatemala Expels Fresh Ash and Mud, Bangladesh’s Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Announces Plans to Return from Exile

The Economist

That ugly ballroom epitomises the story of Donald Trump’s presidency

It illustrates his key means, methods, and goals, and reveals the true nature of his achievements

This summary was generated by artificial intelligence and may contain errors or mischaracterizations. Always refer to the original sources for authoritative reporting.