President Donald Trump says he has no plans to name his $300 million White House ballroom after himself.
Speaking to reporters in brief remarks while departing the White House on Friday evening for a trip to Asia, Trump denied an earlier report that he was likely to add his name to the new ballroom.
“I don’t have any plan to call it after myself,” Trump said. “That was fake news. Probably going to call it the presidential ballroom or something like that. We haven’t really thought about a name yet.”
Earlier, senior administration officials told ABC News that some in the administration were already referring to it as “The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom” and that that name was likely to stick.
The White House claims they have released the full list of donors to the project. On a list of those donors, provided to ABC News by the White House, the ballroom is referred to as “the President Donald J. Trump Ballroom.”
President Donald Trump shows an interior rendering of the new White House Ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, October 22, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/EPA/Shutterstock
Before Friday, Trump had not publicly said what he intends to name the ballroom, but he is known for branding his construction projects after himself.
When asked by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce on Thursday if he had a name for his ballroom yet, Trump smiled and said: “I won’t get into that now.”
The entire East Wing of the White House was demolished to make way for Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom, new images showed on Thursday.
A White House official confirmed to ABC News that $350 million has been raised for the ballroom project, saying the president “has received such positive and overwhelming support for the ballroom that he continues to receive donations.”
President Donald Trump shows an interior rendering of the new White House Ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, October 22, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/EPA/Shutterstock
The official said construction will still cost $300 million as of now.
Asked what he plans to do with the extra $50 million, Trump told reporters Friday night it could possibly be used to help build a large triumphal arch — modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris — that Trump has proposed constructing just outside Washington.
Asked by ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers on Thursday how much of his own money he was planning to donate to the ballroom, Trump replied, “Oh, millions of dollars. Yeah. Well, I also give, you know, I give a lot of money to the White House. The White House is, as you know, I give my salary, and I usually like to steer it to the White House because this house was a little bit abandoned.”
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
