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Visual Concepts / 2K / NBA 2K26

According to NBA 2K26, fans of the New York Knicks are in for a season they have been longing for, but will ultimately suffer heartache.

The official 2025-26 NBA season tips off today, but NBA 2K26, which is now the unofficial start to basketball season, has predicted a wide range of outcomes that some fans will appreciate, while others will label it the purest of CAP.

Like with Madden, the folks at 2K decided to use NBA 2K26 to simulate the season to determine who would come out on top.

Unsurprisingly, coming out of the West will be last year’s champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will defeat the Denver Nuggets in seven games in the Western Conference Finals to defend their title in the NBA Finals.

But what should give a lot of New Yorkers hope is that the game also predicted the New York Knicks, who have a new coach in Mike Woodson, will finally get over the Eastern Conference Finals hump, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to face the Thunder in hopes of delivering the mecca of basketball its first NBA chip since 1973.

But for Knicks fans, their 2025-26 season will end in heartbreak because the OKC Thunder will repeat as champions, with NBA 2K26 cover athlete, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, grabbing NBA Finals MVP honors and repeating as league MVP.

Other 2K Sim Predictions

We are intrigued to see how accurate this prediction is, given that it is based solely on the NBA 2K26 stat model.

2K also used the latest installment in the popular basketball video game franchise to predict this season’s Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, as well as other stats.

You can see those results below.

Rookie of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

Most Improved Player

All-NBA Teams

According to reports, a man who was one of the January 6th insurrectionists has been arrested for allegedly making terroristic threats against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Christopher Moynihan, 34, of Clinton, New York, was arrested by Dutchess County police after they were informed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force (FBI-JTT), making him the first of the pardoned J6ers to be arrested for alleged political violence.

Moynihan reportedly sent messages concerning an upcoming appearance that Jeffries was set to make in New York City. The recipient was not specified, according to Reuters.

“Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live. … Even if I am hated he must be eliminated. … I will kill him for the future,” the text messages read, according to the complaint, which was dated Saturday (October 18).

Moynihan was one of the first wave of people who stormed the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021, after a speech by now-President Donald Trump, which falsely challenged the outcome of the 2020 presidential elections, which put former President Joe Biden in office. He was one of 1,590 people charged for their actions that day and was sentenced to 21 months in prison in February 2023. He, along with nearly all of the other insurrectionists, was pardoned by Trump on his first day in office this year.

“Unfortunately, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned,” Jeffries said in a statement. Republican House Majority Leader Mike Johnson decried the incident while appearing at the Capitol building. “Anybody who threatens to kill any political official we denounce it absolutely. We ought to have justice fall upon their head,” he said.Moynihan remains in custody at the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of a $10,000 cash bail, $30,000 bond, or $80,000 partially secured bond, in line for a Class D felony. He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Thursday (October 23).

Photo: Getty

Trending on Billboard

Italian superstar Laura Pausini exclusively revealed the cover art and details for her upcoming albums Yo Canto 2 and Io Canto 2, which honor Hispanic and Italian singer-songwriters, respectively, at Billboard Latin Music Week 2025. The Spanish-language LP will feature covers of hits by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny and Mexican idol Joan Sebastian, the singer teased Tuesday (October 21) during her Icon Q&A at the prestigious gathering in Miami.

In a lively conversation with Leila Cobo, Billboard‘s director of content for Latin/Spanish, Pausini surprised the audience with a live performance of her cover of “Turista,” recounting how she connected with Bad Bunny’s music and how she was introduced to the world of the late regional Mexican singer Joan Sebastian.

She said she met the former years ago during a tribute to Gloria Estefan. She explained that “Turista,” included on Bad Bunny’s celebrated album Debí Tirar Más Fotos (2025), is a song she personally loves and finds has a similar style to her own. Her version was released on digital platforms last April.

“Benito wrote to me and said he never imagined one day I would sing one of his songs,” Pausini said emotionally. “I love the idea so much, and how important it was for me to do it with my style. Many people think we’re opposites, but not like that.” She praised the way Benito used the word “turista” to refer to the end of a relationship. “Tourists don’t have the time to see the flaws of cities, only the beautiful things, so I found it very intelligent.”

Regarding Joan Sebastian, she said she entered his universe through the algorithm on digital platforms when she listened to music by Juan Gabriel and Marco Antonio Solís.

Have you played Billboard’s Latin Music Week Crossword?Play now!

Pausini said the Spanish version of Yo Canto 2 will include 20 tracks, and the Italian version, Io Canto 2, another 20. The bridge between the two albums, due for release in 2026, is the first single, “Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos” (“My Story Between Your Fingers”), the 1994 song by singer-songwriter Gianluca Grignani that became a hit in both Italy and Latin America thanks to its versions in both languages.

The covers of her upcoming albums depict Pausini as a warrior in silver clothing on the Italian album, and in a light, veiled dress on the Spanish version. What they have in common is an imposing silver sword made up of three microphones.

The singer, who will be honored with the Billboard Icon Award on Thursday (October 23) during the Billboard Latin Music Awards, announced that the promotional tour for her new LPs will begin in Spain in March 2026 and continue in Latin America until June.

Spanning more than 30 years, Latin Music Week is the single-most important and largest gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. This year’s star-studded lineup includes Aitana, Alofoke, Anuel AA, Bebeshito, Carlos Vives, Carín León, Danny Ocean, DJ Khaled, Daddy Yankee (DY), Emilia Mernes, Ivy Queen, Gloria Estefan, Grupo 5, Kapo, Laura Pausini, Luck Ra, Netón Vega, Olga Tañón, Óscar Maydon, Ozuna, Pablo Alborán, Rawayana, Suzette Quintanilla, Tokischa, Xavi and Yailin La Más Viral, to name a few.

Latin Music Week also coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to air Thursday, Oct. 23, on Telemundo and Peacock, where Bad Bunny will be honored as Top Latin Artist of the 21st Century.

Post Malone will have to defend his name in a court of law. He is being sued by a limo driver over his appearance in a music video.

As per The Daily Mail, Post Malone has been hit with a legal complaint stemming from his 2020 collaboration with Tyla Yaweh. In the accompanying visual for “Tommy Lee,” a man is seen opening a limousine door for Tyla, and throughout different quick cut scenes throughout the video.

That man is Larry Deuel, a professional limousine driver in real life. Apparently, he was hired by the two talents to drive them to the ranch where a lot of the principal photography took place. During the shoot, he was asked to participate in the music video, but claims he was never compensated for his appearance.

The lawsuit was submitted to the Fourth District Court in Utah on Friday, Oct. 17. Post Malone, Tyla, and Sony Music Entertainment are all listed as defendants.

“Absent Mr. Deuel’s presence in Tommy Lee, the theme of wealth, power, fame, privilege, and success would have been visually underwhelming, supported only by two unkempt musicians smoking blunts and riding ATVs in a dirt field,” the legal filing read.

According to Music News, Larry Deuel is suing for principal damages “in an amount not less than $2.5 million”; punitive damages “in an amount not less than $7.5 million (£5.6 million)”; legal fees “in an amount not less than $25,000 (£186,000)”; and more.

Post Malone has yet to formally respond to the matter.

Photo: Getty

Trending on Billboard

As Afrobeats gains momentum outside of West Africa, where it originated, Latin artists are fully embracing the rhythm and fusing it with their own signature sounds. Such is the case for Goyo, Humby, Kapo, Ozuna and Venesti, who were part of the Afrobeats panel at Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 on Tuesday (Oct. 21).

Moderated by Billboard‘s Jessica Roiz, the conversation focused on respecting the culture, roots and pioneers that have fueled this genre in Africa, and how Afrobeats has influenced their latest projects, including Goyo’s debut album Pantera.

“This movement is so big and it has brought so many opportunities for Latin artists who sing Afrobeats but are not from Nigeria,” the Colombian star said. “It is important to respect the roots and culture; but restlessness has led to the Afrobeats movement that is being mixed with hip-hop, R&B, and Nigerian music. We have to give importance to Africa through this genre that unites us.”

Meanwhile, hitmaker Ozuna spoke candidly about how experimenting with Afrobeats opened doors for him and got him out of a comfort zone that reggaetón was becoming. “I didn’t know much about the rhythm, but I was interested in learning, I was into reggaetón, and this rhythm opened doors for me.”

He added that the key to continue growing the movement is unity and collaboration. “We did it with reggaetón and it worked for us. Afrobeats is a movement that needs unity. It needs artists like me to collaborate with new artists. I was given that opportunity when I began my career, and now it’s our turn to do it with the new artists, and with the newest artists. This is a chain; we’re all on the same boat.”

Have you played Billboard’s Latin Music Week Crossword?Play now!

Both Colombian artists Kapo and Venesti also dabbled in Afrobeats early on in their careers. After recording in other styles, it was Afrobeats that gave both these rising artists their biggest hits, including Kapo’s “Ohnana” and Venesti’s “Umaye.”

“This song marked a turning point,” Venesti explained. “I was going through a moment in the creative process where others would tell me, ‘This is what you have to do.’ But when I signed with AP Global, my label, they told me, ‘Be yourself.’ I recorded ‘Umaye’ with a $50 microphone. It was my first number one hit on Billboard. ‘Umaye’ is a poem turned into a song.”

“We are born with that feeling; it’s something I can’t explain,” Kapo added. “We created ‘Ohnana,’ and it connected with many people. It wasn’t my beginning, but it has contributed a lot. We have role models in the world who do it so well.”

Spanning more than 30 years, Latin Music Week is the largest gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. This year’s event once again hosts panels, marquee conversations, roundtables, networking and activations, in addition to its celebrated Billboard En Vivo showcases. 

Latin Music Week also coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to air Thursday, Oct. 23, on Telemundo and Peacock, where Bad Bunny will be honored as Top Latin Artist of the 21st Century.

Trending on Billboard

The convergence of film and music as powerful vehicles for cultural storytelling took center stage on Tuesday (Oct. 21) at Billboard Latin Music Week 2025.

Presented by Sony Pictures, Sony Music Latin, and Rancho Humilde, the “Shaping the Future of Film and Music” panel at the Fillmore Miami Beach brought together industry leaders Afo Verde (chairman and CEO, Sony Music Latin Iberia), Jimmy Humilde (CEO and founder, Rancho Humilde), and Sanford Panitch (president, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group). Moderated by Billboard’s Leila Cobo, the panel unpacked strategies and collaborations between music and cinema that highlight cultural movements and elevate underrepresented communities.

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For Humilde, the explosive growth of Rancho Humilde during the pandemic fueled the idea of creating a platform for storytelling through film. “When COVID happened, my business partner Jay Dee [of Herencia de Patrones] and I sat there coming up with what’s next,” he said. “The world stopped — that’s when Rancho Humilde was born. [We went] from millions to hundreds of millions, where everyone was hearing what we were doing, but no one really understood our culture.” This realization set the stage for Rancho Humilde’s entry into filmmaking.

Have you played Billboard’s Latin Music Week Crossword?Play now!

Humilde envisioned this as a celebration of Mexican-American culture, not confined to any traditional genre or region. “Everyone wants to put us in a box, in a space that we can’t grow out of. But we’re saying, no, this is the time. This has been done in pop, hip-hop, rap, in films like Boyz n the Hood and Friday with Ice Cube. Now we need to have it in Latin music.”

“Hollywood has had an incredible history of transferring the electricity of an artist to an actor,” Panitch remarked. “Latino audiences make up 30 to 40% of the box office on every movie, which reflects the incredible opportunity to tell fresh, authentic stories that resonate.” Humilde added, “The big percentage of moviegoers are Latinos. Thank God that the majority are Mexican Americans, 65% in the U.S. — people we need to serve. Not just Mexicans, but all Latinos, period.”

Afo Verde highlighted how music and cinema represent a natural evolution of artists’ creative expressions. “In the ’50s, [artists] needed to sing in recording studios; in the ’60s, they had to play instruments; in the ’70s, they learned how to tour; in the ’80s, the [music] video came out; and later, it was social media. It’s common to ask how things evolve, and now, it’s filmmaking. Not every artist will become an incredible actor, [but exploring film] is a great outlet for creativity and reaching audiences in new ways.”

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to air Thursday, Oct. 23, on Telemundo and Peacock.

Trending on Billboard

Mike Morris is one of music’s biggest new investors — and he’s placing his bets on the indies. The managing director of Chicago-based private equity firm Flexpoint Ford has overseen what Billboard estimates is more than $375 million of investments in some of music’s most influential independent companies since 2023. After initially backing the front-line music business at Nettwerk, the label that broke Sarah McLachlan and Barenaked Ladies, that same year the firm announced a “significant investment and partnership” in Goldstate Music, the catalog investment firm founded by former BMG president/COO and J Records co-founder Charles Goldstuck. Last year, Flexpoint led a $34 million equity financing round for Duetti, a music investment company that focuses on indie rights, and led a $165 million investment in Create Music, a music distribution, publishing and data analytics company. 

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Morris, who has previously held positions at Northleaf Capital Partners, H.I.G. Capital and Moelis & Co., says that Flexpoint’s focus on high-return middle-market companies serving independent artists has resulted in “repeated success.”

“We’ve really leaned into the independent sector of the music industry — it is just growing much faster than the traditional majors ecosystem,” Morris says. “This part of the market is so large and fragmented and there is so much growth…and tremendous opportunity for innovation.” 

What do you think of the maneuvers by the majors, like Universal Music Group’s proposed acquisition of Downtown Music, that target the growth of the indie segment? 

They are evidence enough of the fact they have been losing share to the independent ecosystem. They wouldn’t be buying these companies if it weren’t the case. We think our platform companies — whether one or more of them ends up in a major at some point, we’ll see — can outcompete because they don’t have the legacy infrastructure that some of the majors do. And they can complement the majors in serving this vast, fragmented and growing part of the market.

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What are the new modes of monetization you have talked about that excite you?

I’m talking about everything outside of the traditional streaming platforms: Meta, TikTok, YouTube, which is where Create started out. YouTube rights management, if you know how to do it correctly, is a very attractive and important area. Synch placement in video games, fitness apps — all of these tangential revenue streams. Not everyone knows how to monetize those streams, and it is core to the strategy for all of our portfolio companies.

What makes Create special? 

Create has only been around for about 12 years. They are a digitally native service and capital provider to the independent sector. It doesn’t have the legacy baggage around infrastructure that some of the services and labels have. Create started out as a pure-play rights management business and then went through a natural evolution, tacking on distribution, accounting systems, publishing — all built on this digitally native background. Their numbers aren’t public, but if they were, they’d speak for themselves.

Duetti was the first, but likely not the last, company to acquire the masters and publishing rights of indie artists bubbling under the mainstream radar. How are they prepped for competition? 

This is something [Duetti CEO Lior Tibon] has thought a lot about. They do have a first-mover advantage. But the reason no one else is doing it is because it’s really hard to do. Buying these small catalogs involves a high degree of sophistication, data, AI [artificial intelligence] and operational discipline to acquire thousands of catalogs and thousands of individual tracks. Most music companies and other funds in the space have not set themselves up to do that in a way that’s scalable. More competition is something we’ve planned for at the board level and among the shareholder group and management team. We feel like it’s going to be very hard to replicate the strategy at this kind of scale.

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Goldstate Music is more traditional compared with the other companies in your portfolio. What do you like about their method of investing in music intellectual property [IP], and would Flexpoint directly acquire catalogs itself? 

Charles Goldstuck is a best-in-class operator who’s proven over decades in and around the music business that he knows how to start businesses, take on institutional capital like ours, identify attractive parts of a market and use capital to create attractive returns for his investors. [He has a] sophisticated, important piece of the strategy: working on them actively to get the most juice out of those assets. Things like  changing and optimizing distribution contracts, synch placements, creating remixes and derivative works, getting [name, image and likeness] rights and doing merch and working actively with those artists.

Songs by Xania Monet, an AI artist that Hallwood Media signed to a multimillion-dollar agreement, are climbing the Billboard charts. How could the commercial success of AI music affect the value of catalogs? 

It’s fascinating to see AI-powered artists now being signed by labels. Yes, they’ll compete for listening time and could take some share. But in practice, I think it makes high-quality, authentic catalogs and artists even more valuable. So I don’t see AI destroying catalog value. Instead, I see it widening the gap: disposable, machine-made music on one side and enduring, human-driven catalogs on the other. The latter will continue to command attention, cultural relevance and investor confidence. 

What are you currently working on?

The most interesting things I’m seeing right now [include] international opportunities in Asia, the Middle East [and Latin America], both on the catalog side and with music service providers. Music-adjacent service providers and IP businesses in music-adjacent spaces like film, TV and video games are heavy users of music. We’re looking at a business in Korea right now that is in some ways like Create. It has evolved organically in the Korean music ecosystem to provide services focused on artists’ and independent labels’ needs.

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How long do you plan to be involved with portfolio companies?

We’re not quick-flip investors. We’re not in the quick-hits business. We’re about partnering with entrepreneurs and founders to build enduring businesses that can compound value over a long period of time. We think exits take care of themselves, as long as we’re helping build enduring businesses. Sometimes it takes three years, sometimes five and sometimes 10. 

Many companies, including Duetti and Create, are exploring raising funds through issuing asset-backed securities. Why is this a good strategy, and what are the potential drawbacks? 

To me, this is just music catching up to what other asset classes have been doing for decades. When you have reasonably predictable cash flow streams, it is a more efficient form of financing — no different from bank financing. But it’s in a more regimented form and checks the boxes the buyers of these types of bonds want. It’s a clear positive for the industry. The only real drawback is it is a significantly bigger undertaking in terms of the documentation and the ratings process than going to a bank and getting a loan. So it does require time, attention and effort from management teams and us. 

It’s hard to predict the staying power of songs. Do you have any concerns about very young songs being used to collateralize this type of bond or companies with high loan-to-debt rates adding to their debt this way? 

I hear all the same things. The performance of these bonds — both public and the private — has been 100%: no defaults, no issues. But it’s a relatively young asset class in the securitization market. So you might see some folks use the leverage very aggressively, which would be unwise. But I think the buyers of these bonds are sophisticated enough to know what they’re getting into and to analyze these cash flows and to structure them in a way that makes sense. These investors have a lot of experience now in both music and other asset classes where the modeling isn’t very different. It’s all a function of risk/reward tolerance and pricing appropriately.

The elected leadership of the Democratic Party isn’t fiery enough to oppose the threat of President Trump’s administration, according to several candidates running nationwide in key races, as well as a large swath of the party’s voters. The key targets for their ire have been House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Chuck Schumer, particularly as Trump has mocked them since his return.

Currently, the list of challengers are younger, like progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh who is running to succeed retiring Illinois representative Jan Schakowsky.  “You need to show the people that you’re angry — and not just that you’re angry, that you’re going to do something about it,” she said to Axios. 

That was echoed by attorney Patrick Roath, who is challenging Massachusetts Representative Stephen Lynch. “People are angry, they are frustrated, they are deeply dismayed by what they are seeing, of course by the Trump administration, but honestly a lot is a profound disappointment with the Democrats,” he said.

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The pressure of the current government shutdown, now in its third week, is also applying pressure on the established Democratic leadership. Jeffries has gained staunch support among Democrats in the House of Representatives for not being willing to move away from their demands for healthcare to be preserved from cuts by Republicans and Donald Trump. Schumer reportedly floated a stopgap bill to reopen the government, drawing criticism and prompting him to reverse course.

That kind of conciliatory move with a Republican administration that has demonstrated their unwillingness to care is not one these candidates look to employ. “I am not a ‘when they go low, we go high’ [person]. I’m not that kind of girl,” said Texas state representative Jolanda Jones, one of the Texas Democrats who took a stand against GOP gerrymandering in the state earlier this year. “If they go low, I’m going to the gutter.”

Despite the support in the House, Jeffries has faced reports that some might not back his bid to be Speaker should Democrats regain control of that body of Congress. Schumer, who isn’t up for re-election until 2028, has less room to maneuver as several members of the Senate are up for re-election next year, including some vulnerable seats. 

Photo: Getty

Trending on Billboard

On Tuesday (October 21), Argentina and Colombia united for Billboard Latin Music Week in a conversation where two superstars of Latin American folk music shared their experiences: Soledad and Silvestre Dangond.

During the panel “Desde La Raíz” (“from the root” in English) moderated by Ezequiel Ruiz of Billboard Argentina, the award-winning Argentine singer-songwriter and the Colombian vallenato star discussed the importance of preserving original sounds.

“It’s important that there are purists. [At first] they told me I was killing vallenato. However, that kept me going and brought me to where I am,” said Dandong proudly. He has brought his own style to the genre across the 18 albums that make up his discography, always including at least two native songs. “That’s how I grew up; I grew up watching the great exponents of vallenato. I lived it and I breathe it.”

For her part, “La Sole,” as many call her, shared how she began to carve out a space for herself in the industry. “I come from a small town, where musical culture is very strong,” said the artist born in Arequito, in the Argentine province of Santa Fe. “When the big names were no longer around, I thought I could have a place, my own place, but continue that legacy,” she recalled, thanking her father for buying the 5,000 records ordered by the first record label that signed her (Sony Music) to continue her contract. “He borrowed money to solve it at the time. My old man always believed in me, and to this day, I write songs dedicated to him.”

Have you played Billboard’s Latin Music Week Crossword?Play now!

Both figures agreed on the reason they represent their countries through their voices: to love what they do, honor it, and enjoy it. However, they have very personal views on the future of folk music.

In Soledad’s case, she admitted that she’s more open to the music being made by young people in Argentina today. “Sometimes there are things I don’t like as much,” she confessed, “although I must admit that some people look to folklore for elements to fuse with their sounds.”

With his characteristic laid-back personality, Dandong stated that he isn’t critical of the music currently being made in Colombia. “I also did what I wanted; age defines what one sings. Let’s let people mature and let’s do less criticism and more accompaniment,” the singer emphatically declared. In recent months, he has released collaborations with Emilia, Banda MS, and Carín León, demonstrating his openness and interest in conquering and experimenting in new markets.

Spanning more than 30 years, Latin Music Week is the single-most important and largest gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. This year’s star-studded lineup includes Aitana, Alofoke, Anuel AA, Bebeshito, Carlos Vives, Carín León, Danny Ocean, DJ Khaled, Daddy Yankee (DY), Emilia Mernes, Ivy Queen, Gloria Estefan, Grupo 5, Kapo, Laura Pausini, Luck Ra, Netón Vega, Olga Tañón, Óscar Maydon, Ozuna, Pablo Alborán, Rawayana, Suzette Quintanilla, Tokischa, Xavi and Yailin La Más Viral, to name a few.

Latin Music Week also coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to air Thursday, Oct. 23, on Telemundo and Peacock, where Bad Bunny will be honored as Top Latin Artist of the 21st Century.

Imagine moving into a rental home and demolishing part of it to build a ballroom. That’s exactly what President Trump did to the White House East Wing, Monday as he began the construction of his $200 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

CNN staff witnessed an excavator destroying parts of the East Wing, including the roof and interior.  

“Renderings released earlier by the White House showed that the ballroom, which the administration has said will be funded by Trump and other private donors, would be built over this area. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said over the summer that the ‘state ballroom’ would occupy space housing the East Wing of the executive mansion, where first ladies have traditionally maintained offices,” CNN added in its report.

The project fulfills the president’s wish for an event space at the White House that would expand the building’s entertaining capacity and continue the president’s demands that the people’s house take on the same gaudy tackiness of his private clubs. So far, Trump’s efforts to make the White House resemble something Liberace would be proud of have included the ballroom, large flagpoles, the destruction of the Rose Garden with pavement, and excessive gold accents inside the Oval Office. 

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“I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” Trump posted on social media Monday evening. “Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!”

Trump also acknowledged the destruction of the White House East Room during an event celebrating LSU’s baseball teams. 

“You know, we’re building right behind us — we’re building a ballroom. They wanted a ballroom for 150 years, and I’m giving that honor to this wonderful place,” he said. “I didn’t know I’d be standing here right now, because right on the other side, you have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically.”

CNN notes that the new ballroom will have enough gold to make Trinidad James jealous, including (Trinidad James voice) gold all in the crystal chandeliers, gold all in the gilded Corinthian columns, gold inlays all in the coffered ceiling inlays, and gold all in the floor lamps. Don’t believe him just watch. 

Photo: Getty