Trump was leaving the White House for China when he took questions from reporters on Tuesday, which was streamed on Fox News’s America Reports.
“We have a ballroom that’s under budget, it’s going up right here, I’ve doubled the size of it because we obviously need that. And we’re right now on budget, under budget, and ahead of schedule,” Trump said.
In the crowd, a woman’s voice said, “You doubled,” and placed the mic in front of Trump.
He leaned into the mic and said, “I doubled the size of it, you dumb person, it’s double the size.”
“You are not a smart person,” Trump said before moving to another reporter for questions.
This comes as Trump last week defended rising costs for the ballroom, but said it was still under budget in a Truth Social post.
TRUMP SAYS BALLROOM PROJECT HAS ‘DOUBLED’ IN SIZE
“It is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal,” Trump said on Truth Social on May 6.
The ballroom project was originally slated to cost $200 million when the White House announced it in July 2025. The estimated cost has now doubled to $400 million.
