Attorney General Todd Blanche has criticized Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner after he said the White House ballroom, currently under construction, would eventually be blown up.
Blanche, a former personal attorney to Trump who was sworn in as attorney general this month, addressed the remarks on Fox News Wednesday.
“It’s disgusting that a district attorney in Philadelphia — who by the way has a city with its own problems — is so focused on what the president is doing at the White House,” Blanche said. He added that the comment was “reflective of how divisive and unfortunate the Democrats have made this issue.”
At a Tuesday press conference, Krasner, a Democrat who has served as Philadelphia’s top prosecutor since 2018, described Trump as a “pain in the a**” and “the embodiment of ignorance,” according to NBC News.
Krasner also said the ballroom would be demolished in an “official ceremony” in years to come.
“In about 10 to 15 years, we are all going to be sitting here with smiles on our faces,” Krasner said. “And I'm going to have a paper weight sitting on my desk. And do you know what that paper weight's going to be? It's going to be a piece of the ballroom after we blow it up.”
The Independent has contacted Krasner’s office for comment.
The ballroom project, a vast and costly expansion of the White House complex, has generated controversy since Trump unveiled the plans last summer — and quickly demolished the East Wing to clear space for the development.
According to plans, the 90,000-square-foot space — which Trump says is necessary to host large events — will feature Greek- and Roman-inspired columns and gilded chandeliers. It will also include a military complex with an underground bunker.
The ballroom was initially estimated to cost $200 million but that figure was later revised to $400 million. Internal projections put the cost even higher.
Trump has said the project will be funded through private donations but more than $300 million in Secret Service funding was transferred for “White House security measures.” A source told The Washington Post those funds would be used for the ballroom.
“The East Wing Modernization Project is inextricably tied to the security of the President, the White House grounds and the certain security infrastructure assets,” a White House spokesperson told The Independent in June.
On Friday, the Supreme Court allowed Trump to continue ballroom construction while a legal challenge proceeds. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the group that brought the challenge, argues that the president cannot make major changes to federal property without congressional approval.
Trump said he was “grateful” for the Supreme Court’s decision.
“The Military/Ballroom Complex being built on the hallowed grounds of the White House, which is so vital for National Security, will be THE GREATEST OF ITS KIND!” he wrote on Truth Social last Friday.
During his Fox News interview, Blanche insisted that the sprawling event space would be completed.
“The ballroom is being built. It’s not stopped, and the Supreme Court issued the stay which allows us to continue to do the work,” he said, describing the project as “a national security issue.”
An Ipsos survey released in April found that 56 percent of Americans opposed the ballroom project.