Eric Trump on Thursday rejected claims by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., that President Donald Trump's privately funded East Wing ballroom project amounts to a pay-for-play scandal.
He told Newsmax the charge is "nonsense" and said that the project is a historic gift to the American people.
Eric Trump, author of the New York Times No. 1 bestseller "Under Siege," told "Finnerty" his father's decision to fund and design a new state ballroom at the White House — reportedly financed through private donations — is being distorted for political gain.
"He forgets about the fact that my father self-funded his first campaign," he said of Jeffries. "He forgets about the fact that my father donates his salary to charitable causes — the first president to ever do that. ... This is going to be the most incredible gift that Donald Trump can give the United States."
The younger Trump described the ballroom as a permanent, cost-saving addition that would eliminate the need for temporary structures for major events.
"From a security standpoint, this thing will actually pay for itself many times over," he said. "Every time they have to put up a tent or go off-site, it's expensive to move the president. Keeping it right there at the people's house is the right thing to do."
He also dismissed critics who said the construction was defacing the White House, arguing the East Wing was "totally underutilized."
He said the new hall would feature "vaulted windows, stone columns, chandeliers, marble work, and ornate plaster molding," calling it "one of the most spectacular ballrooms ever built in the world."
Jeffries, speaking Wednesday on MSNBC, alleged the president was "running the largest pay-to-play scheme in the history of the country," claiming the $250 million project might come from donors seeking influence.
He said it is "highly doubtful" whether the project is legal and that it should be investigated.
The White House has said the project is entirely funded by private contributions, with no taxpayer dollars involved.
Eric Trump told Newsmax his father's record speaks for itself: "No one else could pull off what Donald Trump is doing."
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