Trump floats permanent change for all future presidents

President Donald Trump took to social media Tuesday to champion the ongoing construction of his White House ballroom project, but buried in his comments was an offhanded remark suggesting the president was implementing a permanent change to all future presidential inaugurations.

“Two views of the Great Ballroom being built on the site of our wonderful White House – It is on budget, and ahead of schedule!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, alongside two renderings of the completed ballroom.

“When completed, it will be the finest Ballroom ever built anywhere in the World, one that has been sought by Presidents for over 150 years – and now they are getting THE BEST! Because of its unprecedented structural, safety, and security features, it will also be used for future Presidential Inaugurations.”

Trump’s final remark – that all future presidential inaugurations would be held in the ballroom – suggests Trump is seeking to permanently change the location of presidential inaugurations, which, since 1981, have been held at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol facing the National Mall.

Prior to 1981, inaugurations were held at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol all the way back to 1829 with the inauguration of former President Andrew Jackson.

Trump’s ballroom – a proposed 90,000 square-foot, $300 million structure – began construction behind schedule, and involved the controversial demolition of the White House’s East Wing. The backlash was so fierce that the Treasury Department began instructing staff not to share photos of the East Wing’s demolition.