How (un)popular is Trump's ballroom? Enten & NewsNight weigh in

[0:00] Republicans in Congress are now calling for a billion dollars of taxpayer money for east wing construction at the White House. [0:08] This would be security for the new proposed ballroom that the president swore would be funded with all private donations. [0:16] Now on social media, the president just wrote that the cost has gone up because the ballroom is now twice the size and of far higher quality than what was originally proposed. [0:26] CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here. [0:29] Harry, just basic question, like how how popular is the ballroom? [0:33] You know, I never thought I'd be discussing ballrooms with John Berman, but here we go. [0:36] It's I mean, it's the ballroom heard around the world. [0:38] And, you know, I recall the shot heard around the world. [0:40] Bobby Thompson, 51. [0:42] That was popular. [0:43] This is most certainly not popular. [0:45] I mean, just take a look here. [0:46] OK, privately paid. [0:48] This is a privately paid. [0:49] And now, of course, we're talking about potential public funds going to it for the security. [0:52] Privately paid new White House ballroom. [0:54] Look at this. [0:55] In October of 2025, 56 percent opposed to just 28 percent supported. [0:59] Now, after all of the press that the president and Republicans have been trying to make in terms of making this ballroom popular, you know how much it's moved in terms of popular opinion? [1:09] It hasn't moved at all. [1:10] It's just as unpopular now as it was in October. [1:13] It is 56 percent opposed. [1:15] Just 28 percent support. [1:16] And I will note, Mr. Berman, that I have my little nugget down here. [1:19] Just 18 percent of independents supported. [1:22] This ballroom is simply put unpopular. [1:26] 28 percent doesn't seem very high. [1:29] Put 28 percent in perspective. [1:31] Yeah, I'm going to put 28 percent in some perspective to you because to me, as I said at the beginning, I never thought I'd be talking about ballrooms because ballrooms are just not my style. [1:40] But Americans who support or believe in ghosts, that comes in at 39 percent. [1:46] How about telepathy? [1:47] That comes in at 29 percent. [1:50] And the new White House ballroom comes in below both of those at 28 percent. [1:55] So the bottom line is this. [1:57] This new White House ballroom is most certainly not popular. [2:00] More Americans believe in ghosts and slightly more, though within the margin of error, believe in telepathy. [2:06] And I will note that our cameraman right now is laughing like nobody's business. [2:09] So this has to do with the idea of priorities. [2:13] Like, what's important to you? [2:14] Where do people want to see the president put his attention? [2:16] Yeah, OK. [2:17] So, you know, this is all ridiculous. [2:20] But how about this? [2:21] I mean, just take a look. [2:22] Why is this ballroom such a problem, I think, for the president of the United States in terms of popular opinion? [2:27] Americans on Trump has the wrong priorities. [2:29] I mean, how much has he been talking about this ballroom, man? [2:31] My goodness gracious, we're talking about 67 percent of Americans who say that Trump has the wrong priorities. [2:36] How about disapproving of him now on government spending, right? [2:39] Because now all of a sudden that security is going to be funding this and this is going to be public funds. [2:43] Disapproving of him on government spending. [2:44] We're talking about that same 67 percent. [2:47] So the bottom line is this. [2:48] Ghosts, more people believe in ghosts than believe in this ballroom. [2:51] And a lot of folks just disagree with Trump on government spending and believe he has the wrong priorities like this ballroom. [2:55] What are the prediction markets saying about whether this thing will even get done this term? [2:58] Yeah, OK. [2:59] So what's the chance that the ballroom is completed before 2030? [3:03] It's been going down. [3:04] It's been going down, Mr. Berman. [3:05] The chance that the ballroom is done before 2030, according to the Cal State prediction markets, on March 1, it was 85 percent. [3:11] But down it goes. [3:12] Now it is 29 percent. [3:14] So not only is this unpopular, but it might not even get done. [3:18] It's double trouble for the president of the United States. [3:21] Look, with support for the ballroom at 28 percent, you're hearing all kinds of Democrats saying they're going to make this an issue in the upcoming midterm elections, [3:28] the billion dollars that they're now asking of taxpayer money. [3:31] It looks like American taxpayers could be footing the bill for President Trump's ballroom. [3:36] After all, Senate Republicans are now looking to give the Secret Service one billion. [3:42] Yeah, that's billion with a B dollars for security upgrades for this project. [3:46] The cash tucked inside of a broader immigration reconciliation package. [3:51] And the GOP is arguing that the public should bankroll some of the costs after last month's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. [3:57] But that's not what Trump has been saying since he started his prized renovation project. [4:05] We have no taxes. [4:05] This is taxpayer free. [4:08] We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents. [4:10] We did this no charge to the taxpayer whatsoever. [4:14] I'm paying for it. [4:15] I'm paying for it. [4:17] The country is not. [4:18] We're donating a $400 million ballroom. [4:21] Myself and donors are giving them free of charge for nothing. [4:25] It's being paid for 100% by me and some friends of mine, donors. [4:29] Rich people and people are putting up the money. [4:32] Zero taxpayer dollars. [4:36] Brad, what in the bait and switch is this? [4:39] Well, what I would tell you is if Democrats had not been willing to fund the Department of Homeland Security, [4:45] not shut the government down, we would not have this reconciliation vehicle, [4:48] which can be passed. [4:50] The leader, Senator Foon and Speaker Johnson, we're not planning on doing this. [4:54] There's going to be no vessel for this to happen. [4:56] Democrats forced them to do this. [4:59] And so now the president's... [5:00] So you support the ballroom. [5:01] I do support the ballroom. [5:03] We need a ballroom. [5:04] The Obama administration thought we needed a ballroom. [5:06] We need a ballroom. [5:07] Like as recently as a week ago, right after the White House Correspondents' Dinner attempted shooting, [5:14] the DOJ ran to court two days afterwards to argue in front of the judge who has put the injunction on the construction about the need to build this ballroom. [5:26] And in that legal filing that was done last week, Trump's DOJ, that thing read like a Trump tweet. [5:33] It said over and over, it's going to be free. [5:36] It's a gift from me to the American people. [5:39] It's not going to cost anything. [5:40] So the problem is not the vessel that it's on. [5:43] The problem is not the shutdown. [5:44] The problem is that Trump lied and that he said over and over again. [5:49] First, it started as a $300 million project that was going to be paid by his cronies, the tech titans, and all the donors that want to kowtow to him. [5:57] Then it got to $400 million. [5:58] I don't know what the hell happened to that $400 million because I thought it had already been raised. [6:03] But now they want an additional billion dollars coming from my pocket at a time when Americans can't pay for gas. [6:10] So therein lies the problem. [6:12] I do not even understand. [6:14] I really am trying to understand. [6:16] If you're Republicans, you know you're facing potentially a tsunami come the fall. [6:22] Just the history is not in your favor this year. [6:25] Gas prices are $4.50 across the country. [6:29] And they decide on this day in March, Cinco de Mayo, that what they want to do is announce a billion dollars in May. [6:38] A billion dollars for a ballroom? [6:41] Well, if I may serve as the clerk of the table, I'll read you from the bill. [6:46] None of the funds made available under this section may be used for non-security elements of the East Wing Modernization Project. [6:55] That is direct text from the bill. [6:57] I don't think that matters at – it doesn't matter even one Centella because – [7:02] It doesn't? [7:03] No, it doesn't. [7:03] Because, first of all, the president said that the project would cost $400 billion and that it would be entirely paid for by private donations. [7:14] So, now, to then come and say after the fact, well, there are security upgrades that we need to make, and it's going to cost two and a half times that amount, in addition to the $400 billion. [7:25] That is a bait-and-switch for the American people. [7:29] I think that's a valid argument. [7:30] On the other hand, having worked at the White House – Van was there as well. [7:34] You've been there. [7:35] There are security things at the White House that have to be done. [7:37] I mean, it is the most secure government building in the world. [7:40] It is a military base. [7:42] And you can't just ignore that there are security things that go on above ground and underground that most of us will never see. [7:48] The president bulldozed the East Wing, didn't go to Congress to ask – [7:53] But now he's going to Congress. [7:53] Even once, to approve a plan, nobody even knows what the plan is because he just changes it every three months based on his grandiose ideas. [8:03] And the cost keeps going up. [8:04] And the cost keeps going up. [8:05] Where's the oversight? [8:06] Here's my final point on this. [8:07] This is a billion-dollar blank check. [8:09] Look, I don't know if anybody's driven by there lately. [8:11] Okay, there's a hole in the ground. [8:13] Yes. [8:13] We're not going to leave it indefinitely, nor should we leave it. [8:18] Brad is right. [8:19] Every administration has said we need a ballroom, we need a better facility, A. [8:22] B. It does need to be secure. [8:25] C. As much of it as possible needs to be paid for by private donations, just as the president said. [8:31] But to me, I think it's sort of cheap point scoring to say we can't worry about funding to make sure that the White House is secure for the commander-in-chief of the United States. [8:41] By the way, just to be clear, the White House is secure, okay? [8:46] The White House is secure. [8:47] What Trump wants to do is over and above that, and that might be fine. [8:51] But I think there is an argument to be made that instead of after the fact, you bulldoze the thing first and then say, well, we can't leave the hole there. [8:58] We've got to fill it. [8:59] But this is how the White House has always been added. [9:01] By the way, I want to remind you that right now, the Trump administration has been trying to prosecute the Fed chair over cost overruns for the very good point. [9:14] The last time we had a White House renovation, Harry Truman just did it, didn't ask Congress. [9:18] And now the president is going to Congress. [9:20] I was told three months ago that the White House was going to Congress. [9:22] The White House renovation are you talking about? [9:23] You're talking about the interior? [9:24] Yes, the South Port, though. [9:25] Okay, yeah, but there's... [9:26] And the construction on the exterior of the building. [9:28] All right, we've been down this road before, okay? [9:31] There are different types of renovations. [9:33] Most of the major renovations, structural renovations to the White House have, in fact, been approved by Congress. [9:39] That's what's about to happen. [9:41] Well, hold on. [9:41] There is a fund that the president has available to him to make changes, and I'm sure President Trump has already dipped into it, [9:46] to make the marble black in the colonnade, and to add text to the exterior of the Oval Office and all of that. [9:54] There are different tranches of funds, so there are different issues at play here. [9:58] And $400 million plus another billion dollars is a very different quantity of money. [10:04] That's what we're talking about. [10:05] Will you be okay now that it goes to the White House, Congress? [10:07] I guess, you know, he did say that it was going to be free the American people. [10:12] And I assume that when he thought about his ballroom, he didn't think it was going to be insecure. [10:17] He probably thought it was going to be secure. [10:18] So if he wants a billion dollars to make it secure for our free ballroom that he promised us, [10:24] he needs to go to his billionaire friends and get another billion bucks. [10:27] I don't understand why. [10:28] They're busy paying for the Met Gala. [10:31] All I want to say is that people aren't dumb. [10:35] It's like he said he was going to give us a free ballroom. [10:38] We didn't ask for it, and he didn't ask permission for it, but that's what he wanted to do. [10:42] And now he's sticking us with a massive bill for it. [10:45] Now, he didn't say, but it's for security. [10:47] Well, you should have thought about that before you started tearing down the White House and how much it's going to cost. [10:51] The problem is, and I love you both, but you guys are getting played by this president. [10:56] At the end of the day, he promised to lower costs, and he's building this ballroom. [11:01] You have to sit here and defend him every single day. [11:04] Gas prices have gone up. [11:06] He's trying to sabotage the midterm elections. [11:08] Like, this man is not doing anything to help the Republican Party whatsoever. [11:14] And if I were a Republican on the Hill, or if I were sitting at this table and my Democratic president were to be doing that, I would be pissed, and I would be out here, and I'd be calling the White House every day saying, you know you're about to lose us the election, but the Republican Party won't do that. [11:28] Let me ask you about this reconciliation bill that you love so much. [11:33] I didn't say I loved it. [11:34] Let me show you what else. [11:36] I love it. [11:37] Just for a second. [11:37] I think it's important. [11:39] The ballroom is the ballroom, but look at what else is in it. [11:41] Another $32.2 billion for ICE, $26 billion for CBP, another $5 billion for DHS, and just a little sliver, $1.5 billion for the Justice Department. [11:54] Keep those numbers in mind. [11:57] Also keep in mind that nothing in this bill is paid for. [12:00] So this is just adding to the deficit. [12:01] Also keep in mind that last year, in the big, beautiful bill, ICE's budget was basically exploded. [12:10] They were given over $70 billion. [12:12] To solve a mandate that the president got in the election. [12:14] Let me just ask you realistically, where is all of this money going? [12:19] And does one agency need to be suddenly, it's not DOD, the second largest agency in the entire country? [12:29] Well, if you want to say that we should have the DHS bill and DHS funding debated and worked out in a bipartisan way, [12:38] then Democrats have to drop the filibuster in the Senate and negotiate it and vote for it on the floor and offer amendments. [12:43] But Democrats refuse to bring that debate to the Senate floor. [12:47] They won't let the Senate talk about it. [12:49] So now Republicans are going to have to do it in reconciliation. [12:52] All those projects you mentioned, except for the DOJ, come under the Department of Homeland Security. [12:56] This is the thing Democrats are refusing to debate, to amend, to compromise. [13:02] I'm not hearing you justify the budget. [13:05] Well, look, the president got a mandate. [13:07] It's a lot of money. [13:08] And I think, again, the American people are asking themselves, where is our money going? [13:12] Well, wait a minute. I thought it's obvious. [13:13] You told us that we, you told us, when Trump started, it was about saving money, waste, fraud, and abuse. [13:21] Doge, the whole thing. [13:23] We're talking about a DHS budget that's now over $100 billion. [13:28] The federal government employees, full-time equivalent employees of the federal government, [13:32] is lower than it's been at any point in 20 years. [13:34] They did, in fact, cut out waste, fraud, and abuse. [13:37] And they're working on it more. [13:38] And now there's new waste, fraud, and abuse with this ball. [13:41] But what they're doing is, what they're doing is, they're future-proofing it. [13:44] They're basically funding it into the future so that this fight doesn't happen again while he remains the president. [13:50] That's what they're doing.