U.S. President Donald Trump interrupted a White House meeting to stand up and stare out the door windows at construction on his $400 million White House ballroom project. Both before the event in a boastful Truth Social post and during the meeting, the former real estate developer highlighted the project, which required tearing down the East Wing and sparked backlash.
Mid-remarks, Trump stopped to look outside, exclaiming “Wow! What a view!” and pointing out where the ballroom doors would be, prompting laughter. Sitting back down, he claimed the project was ahead of schedule and under budget, despite costs doubling from an initial $200 million estimate.
The moment drew online mockery after journalists shared clips on X. The interruption occurred during a meeting with oil executives, days after Trump announced U.S. control of global oil sales following intervention in Venezuela.