Critics suggest White House ballroom be renamed after Obama, or bulldozed when Trump leaves office

Ironically, Trump’s dream of building a White House ballroom dates back to the Obama administration.

President Donald Trump‘s $300 million ballroom continues to ignite outrage and debate as Democrats weigh in on what should be done when he ultimately leaves office. Some have welcomed the idea of renaming the yet-to-be-built ballroom after America’s first Black president, Barack Obama.

“To really mess with him, just name it the ‘Barack Obama Ballroom,'” U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona told NBC News. “I think that would take care of half the problem.”

News anchor and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hassan suggested the same strategy, telling former CNN journalist Jim Acosta, “If I were a Democrat running for the 2028 presidential primaries, I would make part of my platform–it would win the base–I would say vote for me, if I get elected to the White House, the first thing I would do is rename [the ballroom] the Barack Hussein Obama ballroom.”

Hassan added, “It would kill [Trump]!”

ABC News reported that White House staff are already discussing the idea that Trump will name the massive ballroom after him. However, Trump dismissed the hearsay as “fake news.” This comes amid critics suggesting that the very construction of a ballroom is a sign that Trump does not plan to leave and amid conspiracies from him and MAGA allies that he would seek a third term despite it being unconstitutional.

Ironically, Trump’s dream of building a White House ballroom dates back to the Obama administration. While campaigning for president in 2016, Trump said he reached out to former White House senior advisor to President Obama, David Axelrod, and offered to work with the nation’s top developers to build a ballroom “free of charge.”

Feeling slighted by Team Obama, Trump said earlier this year, “It was going to cost about $100 million. I offered to do it, and I never heard back.”

Others say Trump’s grand ballroom–which is being paid for by Trump and a list of wealthy donors–should be completely torn down once he leaves office in 2029.

“Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE,” wrote U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.

Former Obama aide Dan Pfieffer said tearing down the ballroom post-Trump presidency would be a mistake.

“Polls show the public doesn’t like Trump tearing down part of the White House to build a ballroom no one needs. How do we think they’ll feel about a Democrat doing the exact same thing?” Pfieffer wrote in a blog.

“Tearing down a ballroom will sting Trump’s vanity. Bulldozing what Trump built at ICE will do far more to weaken his movement and make it harder for future Republican administrations to finish what he started.”

Instead, he said, Gallego’s plan to rename the ballroom is the best way to stick it to Trump.

“If you want to hurt Trump’s feelings, force him to watch his enemies dance the night away in a room that bears the name of the man he spent years denigrating,” Pfieffer said of Obama, whom Trump has attacked for years with the racist birther conspiracy and threats of imprisonment.

“That would sap a lot of his satisfaction — and it costs nothing but a name change.”