‘Gotta Look At This Myself…’: Trump Abruptly Halts Meet To Inspect White House Ballroom Progress

Last Updated:January 10, 2026, 19:57 IST

Donald Trump announced in October 2025 that construction had begun on the ballroom, describing it as part of an effort to modernise the White House.

Trump briefly paused his high-stakes meeting with oil executives to steal a peek at the progress being made in the White House ballroom. (Fox News)

US President Donald Trump briefly paused a meeting with nearly two dozen top oil and gas executives at the White House on Friday to step over to a window and check on the progress of the under-construction White House ballroom.

Midway through his remarks, Trump rose from his chair and looked out toward the site of the new ballroom, commenting on the view and calling it the entrance to the planned facility.

“Today, I’m delighted to welcome almost two dozen of the biggest and most respected oil and gas executives in the world to the White House," he said as quoted by Fox News.

“It’s an honor to be with them. We have many others that were not able to get in. I said, ‘If we had a ballroom, we’d have over a thousand people.’ I never knew you had that many people in your industry. But here we are. And if you’re, in fact, if you look, come to think of it. Well, I gotta look at this myself," Trump said as he got up from his chair to peek out of the window.

“Wow. What a, what a view. This is the door to the ballroom," he continued.

Trump remarked that it was an “unusual time to look" out in the ballroom, which drew light laughter from those present, and invited the media to observe the progress as well.

Trump announced in October 2025 that construction had begun on the ballroom, describing it as part of an effort to modernise the White House and better accommodate large gatherings. The White House has said the project is privately funded and does not involve taxpayer money.

The US President said that the construction is ahead of the schedule. The White House said the ballroom will be “completed long before the end of President Trump’s term" in 2029.

Trump said that the new ballroom would be able to accommodate more guests than existing rooms and would feature enhanced security measures, including bulletproof glass and drone-proof ceilings, to support major events such as presidential inaugurations.

Trump was hosting oil and gas executives to discuss potential investment in Venezuela following the US military’s recent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. He said that energy companies were expected to invest at least $100 billion to rebuild the country’s oil infrastructure.

The meeting was attended by executives from companies including Chevron, Exxon, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Halliburton. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum were also present.

News world ‘Gotta Look At This Myself…’: Trump Abruptly Halts Meet To Inspect White House Ballroom Progress

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