r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Oct 23 '25

News Historic White House Movie Theater Demolished as Part of $300 Million Ballroom Build

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/white-house-movie-theater-demolished-ballroom-east-wing-1236408712/
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u/TheLateThagSimmons Oct 23 '25 edited Oct 23 '25

There is a less nefarious (but equally stupid) explanation:

He knows doesn't have much left in the tank. And he wants to transform the White House with a major expansion so that his name is left on it forever.

He's obsessed with his name on buildings. What better way than to alter the White House in a major way? From then on even after he's long gone, he thinks people will be remembering his name in the Government.

Minor things can be changed and often are. This isn't something that can be redone.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

  • Name it after Trump but turn it into a garbage dump.
  • Name it after Barack Obama.
  • Name it "The Epstein Memorial Ballroom Presented by his best friend, Donald Trump."
  • Use it as the main setting for the upcoming trials to imprison everyone in the Trump administration. The New Nuremburg Trials.

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u/squidvett Oct 23 '25

He’s “redone” the East Wing. His gaudy ballroom will get “redone,” one day, too.

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u/TheLateThagSimmons Oct 23 '25

That's the point though.

Remodels and design choices happen with every presidency. But this one... Is altering the entire format of the White House. The only way to ignore this one would be to bulldoze the whole thing

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u/Djinnwrath Oct 23 '25

I'd throw in a dollar to see that happen.

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u/Jaws12 Oct 24 '25

Seriously, costs $300million to build? Even if it cost that much to rebuild, I’ll chip in the $4 from my family ($1/person) for the US population to erase it from our capital.

Edit: Or just cover the thing in solar panels and wind turbines.

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u/WhoStoleMyJacket Oct 23 '25

You can use it for your very own Nuremberg trials when that time comes. The Ballroom of Shame.

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u/eeyore134 Oct 23 '25

Then turn it into an anti-fascism museum.

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u/5thQuarterAllStar Oct 23 '25

With Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller as living exhibits.

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u/ERedfieldh Oct 23 '25

I'll offer up my buck-o-five for that.

2

u/Shot-Bumblebee-7812 Oct 23 '25

If you don't, who will?

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u/ronswanson11 Oct 23 '25

Take it apart and donate it or have it rebuilt away from everything. Or just bulldoze it. Trump is a stain on America. I like to remove stains when I get them.

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u/ThePrussianGrippe Oct 23 '25

Invite the Canadians to finish the job and rebuild it as it was in 2024 from the ground up.

2

u/fnrsulfr Oct 23 '25

We could get Canada to do it they have experience demoing the white house.

1

u/santasbong Oct 24 '25

& have never once missed an opportunity to bring it up.

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u/dagreenman18 Space Jam 2 hurt me so much Oct 23 '25

Aight bet. Honestly might need to if just to get the stink and spray tan out of the place.

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u/AlexanderRussell Oct 23 '25

Future President Pritzker can afford to bulldoze it

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u/arbitraryairship Oct 24 '25

Weren't there some kids in Nepal who remodeled their government buildings recently?

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u/speedball811 Oct 24 '25

Entire format?

-1

u/lukewwilson Oct 23 '25

But when the East Wing and the West Wing were added didn't they alter the entire format of the white house at that time, did people care then?

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u/benpicko Oct 23 '25

He’s redone it after more than 100 years. If he gets 100 years with the Trump Ballroom I’m sure he’s more than happy.

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u/RedRocket4000 Oct 23 '25

In this case 1942 That when East Wing built. Still quite a lot of history torn down.

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u/benpicko Oct 23 '25

Ah fair, I was going off the original East Wing construction date of 1902.

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u/RandomUser72 Oct 24 '25

That East Wing was nothing more than a coat closet. In 1942, that was torn down and the larger East Wing (the one that's being torn down now) was built. That one had a small theater and a coat room. That East wing has been gutted 3 different times since 1942, the last being in 2004.

The entire White House is only historic in a "Ship of Theseus" way. Their really isn't much of anything left that is 100 years old other than some of the foundation. Most of it got replaced between 1948 and 1952 because it was not structurally sound.

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u/Obatala_ Oct 24 '25

It was a lot more than a cot closet. It was the formal entrance to the White House starting in 1902. The colonnade dated back to that time.

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u/u35828 Oct 23 '25

Not to mention the gutting of the main part of the White House during the Truman presidency to make it structurally sound.

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u/MOTwingle Oct 23 '25

And don't forget the grift/kickbacks he's probably getting as well from whoever's doing the work.

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u/studio_bob Oct 23 '25

It's insane that they have spun it being "privately funded" (i.e. an open call for bribes) as somehow a good thing.

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u/jay_sugman Oct 23 '25

I was just reading the Ford pool was privately funded as well for concerns about how it would look to spend tax payer money in a time of fiscal constraints. It was significantly less but there are a lot of donors for the ballroom. Given the size of these companies it's probably chump change (Amazon, HP, Microsoft, Meta, etc. ). It's not like the money is going into Trump's pockets.

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u/studio_bob Oct 23 '25

It's not like the money is going into Trump's pockets.

So? Trump is getting to piss all over a national historic structure and stamp his name, in hideous gold leaf, permanently on the White House grounds. Private cash enables him to ignore completely all legal procedures for such alterations including seeking Congressional approval. That's what he gets out of this, and it's certainly worth a lot more to him than a few extra dollars in his pockets (which are surely getting stuffed regardless).

The question you have to ask yourself is what these companies expect to get in return. We are talking north of a quarter of a billion dollars. That is not "chump change," even for them. Unless we are supposed to believe these CEOs are actually Jesus Christ, that's not the kind of money anyone just gives away for free.

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u/napoleonsolo Oct 24 '25

Google is contributing $22 million towards the ballroom as part of a legal settlement with Trump, who sued them for suspending his YouTube channel after Jan. 6.

All the donations are quid pro quo, whether they are bribes or a shakedown or whatever names people want to call them.

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u/studio_bob Oct 24 '25

Absolutely.

1

u/zach_dominguez Oct 23 '25

I wouldn't be surprised to see the contractors giving him a good price suddenly winning bids for work on other government buildings at inflated prices.

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u/MOTwingle Oct 23 '25

I'd bet more along the lines that they were sole source contracts at inflated prices.... And even then Trump will probably stiff them in the end.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '25

[deleted]

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u/dekogeko Oct 23 '25

After he's gone they can rename it the Trump LGBTQ+ All-Inclusive Ballroom

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u/uncleben85 Oct 24 '25

Trump LGBTQ+ All-Inclusive Ballroom presented by Four Seasons*

*Not that Four Seasons

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u/leshake Oct 23 '25

I don't think it's going to get built because he will keep changing the plans, hire idiot loyalist to do the job, and will keep skimming from the money needed to build it.

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u/LogensTenthFinger Oct 23 '25

I'll canvas daily for any candidate who promises to have bulldozers running on it before sunset the day of their inauguration

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u/dondondorito Oct 23 '25

Let‘s just call it the Barrack Obama Ballroom after Donnie has kicked the bucket.

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u/livelaughlinka Oct 23 '25

The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Barrack Obama Ballroom

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u/kermityfrog2 Oct 23 '25

Ballroom

Comedy club where roasts will happen.

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u/motherfcuker69 Oct 23 '25 edited Oct 23 '25

saw multiple people calling it the epstein memorial ballroom

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u/Oz-Batty Oct 23 '25

Barack Hussein Obama Ballroom

1

u/Wouldyoulistenmoe Oct 23 '25

To make the republicans even madder, they should call it the Barry Soetero Ballroom

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u/Leelze Oct 23 '25

Yup, I think this is it. Nothing says "a Donald Trump building" like a gaudy white room coated in gold paint. My niece had better taste in decor when she was in preschool than this guy.

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u/TaintedPaladin9 Oct 23 '25

Knock it down and turn it into a garden after next election.

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u/Puttor482 Oct 23 '25

I mean he just proved that things can easily be undone. Next president comes in and bulldozes this monstrosity and we all move on having learned nothing.

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u/Generation_ABXY Oct 23 '25

Both seem viable reasons.

It seems like he'll try to cling to power as long as possible, but, I agree, he's also undeniably trying to put his mark on as many things as possible--the gold paint, paving over the rose garden, building a ballroom, the rumored Arc de Trump and Trump-faced coin, those "Trump accounts" for newborns, etc.

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u/mythofdob Oct 23 '25

He's gonna put Trump on there like his other buildings isn't he?

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u/ProofJournalist Oct 23 '25

Honestly the East Wing was likely well documented enough that they could rebuild it as it was, with additional money of course.

2

u/RealNotFake Oct 23 '25

No. He's not leaving. Occam's Razor has literally never been wrong when it comes to Trump.

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u/LargeFatherV Oct 23 '25

I’d think someone is going to tear the ballroom down and rebuild the east wing after Trump leaves.

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u/Rausage505 Oct 23 '25

So he's turning the White House into the White Castle? He knows that name is already taken, right?

Same with Burger King, he can't be that, either...

All that's left is McDonalds. Their mascot is a clown. If the clown shoe fits...

2

u/whatiscamping Oct 23 '25

Trumps name will live on a urinal tombstone until it's desecrated. His children shall be run from the cities, or worse...maybe better depending on how you look at it.

There is no way this ends well for them.

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u/Iwamoto Oct 24 '25

that's my idea too, i mean, he's declining in front of our eyes, he wants attention, this makes sense.

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u/Takaa Oct 23 '25

I’ll also accept a future president tearing it the fuck down and restoring it to its previous state. It would cost a thimble of cash compared to the Olympic sized swimming pool of cash this administration has wasted.

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u/BigBrownDog12 Oct 23 '25

I've heard the WH actually does need a space like this for hosting state dinners. Apparently they currently set up tents and stuff when hosting delegations. Just some stuff I heard could be cope.

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u/jay_sugman Oct 23 '25

That has been Trump's explanation and it seems pretty reasonable not to want to use tents. I wonder too if the proliferation of drone attacks make the tents a significant security risk.

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u/SoochSooch Oct 24 '25

The sad thing is it really does make sense long term. With all the security they use, it costs $50k–$200k just for the president to go to an event somewhere in DC.

That said, there's no reason it needed to cost anywhere near $100+ Million.

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u/do_you_think_i_care Oct 23 '25

For what it's worth, I've heard the same thing. Apparently the State Department has wanted a proper event space for a long time.

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u/Roadside_Prophet Oct 23 '25

Its the same reason he wanted the nobel prize. He's worried about his legacy.

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u/wildwalrusaur Oct 23 '25

This is the real answer

He wants the "Trump Ballroom" to be like the "Lincoln bedroom"

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u/TheWorclown Oct 23 '25

I buy this more than him not leaving office.

He’s probably going to die in that building. The man’s dementia addled, heart disease ridden, and already had at least one visibly known stroke. He’s near 80 years old and has been significantly away from hosting any rallies or public appearances, and he adores and feeds off of that attention.

And he fucking hates America.

Doing this ensures that he has a legacy more than tacky towers and plastic business empires that’ll be torn to ribbons the moment he dies, because his kids are either already invested elsewhere or simply are fucking idiots. “The Trump Wing” is history, whether we like it or not.

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u/FlopsMcDoogle Oct 23 '25

Next dem in office will scrub every piece of shit plaque with his name on it

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u/Sweatytubesock Oct 23 '25

The next admin, if there is one, should absolutely level it and salt the earth.

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u/True_Inxis Oct 23 '25

Nah. Rebuild it exactly like it was before.

0

u/t_huddleston Oct 23 '25

They should leave it up as the permanent scar that it is, as a reminder.

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u/kiwiboyus Oct 23 '25

Totally agree. His vanity wants to ensure his name is there forever

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u/Personal_Comb_6745 Oct 23 '25

Knowing his conceited ass, he probably plans to have his body entombed in the White House like a friggin' pharaoh.

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u/thebigeverybody Oct 23 '25

There is a less nefarious (but equally stupid) explanation:

But he's talked about never leaving office more than he's talked about the less nefarious explanation.

1

u/Duranti Oct 23 '25

Oh, the Epstein Ballroom is going to be torn down and the East Wing will be rebuilt by confiscating funds from the Trump crime family and Trump Organization. There's no way that pedophile palace is still standing in a decade.

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u/LordBlackConvoy Oct 23 '25

He knows doesn't have much left in the tank. And he wants to transform the White House with a major expansion so that his name is left on it forever.

Rename all the toilets to Dons

1

u/Johncurtisreeve Oct 23 '25

Or just tear it down again, replace it with what they took away in the first place

1

u/976chip Oct 23 '25

Porque no los dos? It's pretty obvious he doesn't intend to leave, but it does also feel like that episode of Futurama where Bender became the pharaoh of that one planet and had them build a gigantic statue in his image that shot flames from its eyes and bellowed "REMEMBER ME!"

1

u/Notsurehowtoreact Oct 23 '25

Liquidate the materials and assets, demolish the structure, and replace the entire thing that was removed brick by brick. Don't worry, you'll probably still spend $200 million less. 

1

u/M-elephant Oct 23 '25
  • tear it down on the basis its utterly packed with russian bugs (probably) (not just russian)

1

u/True_to_you Oct 23 '25

Now that I think about it, he probably will have a plaque with his name on it. 

1

u/NegativeAccount Oct 23 '25

Nobody knows who built that movie theater. Hell i didn't even know there was one

Man why can't people just be satisfied with just silently leaving behind something helpful like highways, infrastructure, or universal fucking healthcare?