President Donald Trump said he has no intention of naming the new $300 million White House ballroom after himself.
In brief remarks to reporters while departing the White House late Friday for a trip to Asia, Trump dismissed an ABC News report that the ballroom would bear his name.
"I don't have any plan to call it after myself," Trump said. "That was fake news. Probably going to call it the presidential ballroom or something like that. We haven't really thought about a name yet."
ABC News had earlier reported that some senior administration officials were already referring to it as "The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom," and that the name might remain.
The White House said it has released a full list of donors to the project. According to ABC, the list, provided by the White House, refers to the space as "the President Donald J. Trump Ballroom."
Until Friday, Trump had not publicly discussed what name he intended for the ballroom, though he is known for attaching his name to construction projects.
Asked by ABC on Thursday if he had chosen a name, Trump replied, "I won't get into that now."
The new ballroom replaces the East Wing, which was demolished to make room for the 90,000-square-foot structure.
A White House official told ABC that $350 million has been raised for the project and that Trump "has received such positive and overwhelming support for the ballroom that he continues to receive donations."
The official said construction costs remain projected at $300 million.
When asked how the remaining $50 million might be used, Trump said it could go toward building a triumphal arch modeled after Paris' Arc de Triomphe, which he has proposed for an area outside Washington.
Asked by ABC on Thursday how much of his own money he would contribute, Trump said, "Oh, millions of dollars. Yeah. Well, I also give a lot of money to the White House … because this house was a little bit abandoned."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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