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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.
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Photo: Getty
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with President Donald Trump at the White House this week, and there were moments of contention. President Cyril Ramaphosa shot down President Donald Trump‘s claim of so-called white genocide being carried out against white farmers by the country’s Black residents.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was in Washington with members of his nation’s delegation to discuss with President Donald Trump ways to improve their business dealings. South Africa is hoping to encourage other world leaders to work alongside South Africa and help improve its standing in the world.
President Trump had other issues in mind, using the meeting to harshly confront President Ramaphosa and center the rumored white genocide happening in South Africa. At one point, Trump had aides dim the lights and showed his guest a video that purported to show the violence happening against white farmers and supporting a conspiracy theory that has been continually debunked.
Trump repeatedly talked over Ramaphosa, who tried to explain the truth that more Black farmers are being harmed and killed than whites. Ramaphosa was flanked by white South African Johann Rupert, the nation’s richest man, who explained that what Trump was promoting was false. South African agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, also white, attempted to do the same.
Ramaphosa, a skilled negotiator and longtime politician, never appeared rattled by Trump’s swarming attacks. CNN added in its reporting that the South African press largely pressed Ramaphosa’s showing, which was similar to the moment Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had with Trump at the White House, albeit a lot less contentious.
Watch this video courtesy of CNN below.
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Photo: The Washington Post / Getty
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Jalen Hurts, the star quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, addressed a question regarding why he elected to forgo visiting the White House with his teammates. Jalen Hurts fielded a question regarding why he skipped a meeting with President Donald Trump, but did so in a respectful, if succinct, manner.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that while addressing reporters at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday (May 20), Jalen Hurts cleared the air on why he didn’t join the Eagles in their White House visit in honor of winning Super Bowl LIX.
“I wasn’t available,” Hurts said. “I don’t think that’s pertinent. Everyone who went and was available, they seemed to enjoy themselves.”
A.J. Brown was a bit more elaborate on why he didn’t attend the visit with his team.
“I had a personal reason I was dealing with that day,” Brown shared. “It wasn’t about politics or who is in office or anything. I just had something personal going on with my family.”
The outlet wrote that around 30 players met with President Trump, who delivered glowing remarks praising Hurts’ performance. Other players shared with the media that they skipped the visits due to prior commitments or personal family matters.
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Photo: ANGELA WEISS / Getty
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Semisonic‘s biggest hit may have been used in a recent White House video glorifying the deportation of undocumented immigrants, but that doesn’t mean the band approved of it.
After the Donald Trump administration shared a brief clip Monday (March 17) on X depicting Border Patrol agents putting handcuffed men on a plane to the tune of 1998’s “Closing Time,” Semisonic was quick to slam the song’s use in a statement to Rolling Stone. “We did not authorize or condone the White House’s use of our song in any way,” the Minneapolis rock group began.
“And no, they didn’t ask,” Semisonic continued. “The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.”
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Billboard has reached out to the White House for comment.
Released as a single from Semisonic’s album Feeling Strangely Fine, “Closing Time” remains Semisonic’s best-known hit. The track topped the Alternative Airplay chart for five weeks and reached No. 8 on Pop Airplay.
The song’s lyrics find frontman Dan Wilson — who has gone on to co-write songs for hitmakers like Adele (“Someone Like You”), Taylor Swift (“Treacherous”) and Chris Stapleton (“White Horse”), among others — singing about patrons exiting a bar that’s closing for the night. “Closing time, you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here,” he belts on the rock tune. “I know who I want to take me home.”
In the White House’s video, however, the lyrics are reinterpreted in the context of border agents patting down two handcuffed men of color before sending them onto a plane for deportation. Anti-immigration policies have been central to the president’s administration, with Trump emphasizing strict deportation measures — which many who oppose his views have deemed extreme — as part of his “Make America Safe Again” platform.
Semisonic is far from the first act to call out Trump’s unauthorized use of their music in official content, an issue that was particularly flagrant during his presidential runs in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Last year alone, Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, Isaac Hayes, the White Stripes and more artists distanced themselves from the politician as his campaign used their songs without permission, with some even taking legal action against him.
Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter Brad Paisley is set to perform Thursday night (May 23) at the White House State Dinner, as President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden welcome Kenya President William Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto. Additional entertainers for the evening will include the Howard Gospel Choir, as well as “The President’s […]
GloRilla is still reeling in excitement over her incredible opportunity to head out to Washington, D.C., and meet President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The 24-year-old rapper opened up about the experience on a new episode of […]
Few people have had high-school experiences more impressive than the Jonesboro High School Majestic Marching Cardinals. At the top of 2024, the student marching band was featured in a commercial for Usher‘s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, and just a few weeks later, they were treated to a very special surprise visit from none other than first lady Jill Biden.
The first lady made a surprise virtual visit on Wednesday (March 27) to more than 150 students from Atlanta’s Jonesboro High School during an after-school rehearsal. As Dr. Biden appears on the screen, the students gasp in surprise. “I can’t wait until you come to the White House,” she told the students, before letting the kids know she’s still teaching.
The Majestic Marching Cardinals are set to play at this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll Monday (April 1), and Dr. Biden appeared via Zoom to thank the students for their hard work and dedication ahead of their performance.
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“After the call with the first lady, there was a hush over the band room and some students began to cry from all the excitement,” band director Lynel Goodwin tells Billboard. “We took a moment to reflect on how our musical journey and their talents led to an opportunity like this – to perform at the White House. This life-changing opportunity means the world to my students, band parents and our Jonesboro community.”
This year’s White House Easter Egg Roll theme continues the first lady’s commitment to “EGGucation,” a nod to her more than 30 years in the teaching profession. Dr. Biden is set to transform both the South Lawn and the Ellipse into a community full of educational activities, rolling and hunting Easter eggs, a reading nook, a picture day station and a physical “EGGucation” zone.
In addition, there will also be a band hall where the Majestic Marching Cardinals will grace the stage. Several other bands are also slated to perform at the event — which is expected to welcome more than 40,000 guests — including Phoenix’s Tolleson Elementary School District Marching Band, the Independence High School Marching Band from Brambleton, Va., and George Mason University Green Machine of Fairfax, Va.
To continue their momentum, the Majestic Marching Cardinals will also perform at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Under the direction of Goodwin, the Majestic Marching Cardinals have brought their special Atlanta flair to some of America’s grandest stages. Their momentum also lines up with that of student marching bands in general: In 2023, Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands made history as the first marching band to with the Grammy for best roots gospel album (The Urban Hymnal).
Watch a clip of first lady Jill Biden surprising the Majestic Marching Cardinals below.
In the season of giving, Mariah Carey made a special home visit to see two lucky fans – who just so happened to be the president and vice president of the United States. As shared on Instagram Wednesday (Dec. 20), the vocalist recently swung by the White House in Washington, D.C., to meet with President […]
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For weeks, social media has been abuzz with conspiracy theories and rumors about who the culprit was that left a bag of cocaine in the White House (naturally Republicans pointed to President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden), and the Secret Service has finally let everyone know that it basically could’ve been anybody.
According to Deadline, the Secret Service has officially closed the case without any clear answers on who was responsible for leaving the nose candy behind for anyone to find. They’ve also stated that they couldn’t figure out who did it. Though far-right wing Republicans and MAGAts were quick to point to Hunter Biden as he’s had a history of drug abuse, the Secret Service said they couldn’t lift any prints or DNA off of the bag of blow.
Deadline reports:
The Secret Service said that the FBI’s laboratory results “did not develop latent fingerprints” and that “insufficient DNA” was found for investigative comparisons. “Therefore, the Secret Service is not able to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals” who may have accessed the area. Video surveillance footage also did not produce any leads.
“Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered,” the Secret Service said. “At this time, the Secret Service’s investigation is closed due to lack of physical evidence.”
We’re not gonna lie, it does seem suspect that neither the Secret Service nor the FBI were able to track down who left behind the bag of coke. We don’t know much, but we’d figure that someone who does cocaine isn’t slick enough to leave behind a bag with absolutely no fingerprints or DNA. They’re always touching their noses for Christ’s Sake! Now, if that is indeed the case, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was some MAGA Trumpian who planted the bag only to turn the spotlight on Joe Biden’s addiction-battling son for political purposes. It’s a dirty game out here, b.
What do y’all think about the situation? Is the Secret Service covering up for someone? Was the bag planted? Are you surprised that anyone in the White House does cocaine? We lowkey feel like more than half the people that work there be hitting the slopes. Remember when that piece of white rock shot out of Donald Trump’s nose while he was giving a press conference? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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White House officials have confirmed that a powdery substance found near the guest entrance of the West Wing was indeed cocaine. An investigation is currently underway to discover how the narcotic made its way into the White House.
The Washington Post was one of several large outlets covering the discovery of the substance at the White House. The substance was found this past Sunday (July 2) on the ground floor near an area where visitors are instructed to leave their cell phones according to sources speaking with the outlet.
The Secret Service is leading the investigation of the found drugs, which the outlet adds sparked officials to evacuate the building. After initial testing pointed to the substance being cocaine, a final test confirmed the findings.
President Joe Biden was away for the weekend at Camp David and did not return to the White House until Tuesday (July 4). President Biden has not made a public statement regarding the discovery.
Tours of the White House take place on evenings and weekends. As a security measure, guests are told to leave their devices in a series of small boxes prior to entering the West Wing. The cocaine was found near these small storage boxes which essentially points that the substance indeed came from a visitor and not a staff member. However, that fact has yet to be established by Secret Service officials.
Given the political tensions across the nation, some pundits have used the discovery of the drugs to connect the cocaine to President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, despite little evidence provided in the case.
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Photo: izanoza / Getty
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