Americans strongly opposes new ballroom, poll shows

A new poll sponsored by the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos has been released showing that Americans do not approve of Donald Trump’s new ballroom, with some surveyed before the announcement that the $400 million ballroom will now be funded by taxpayer dollars. The poll surveyed 1,292 U.S. adults via online interview, and claims the margin of error is only 2.8 per cent.

The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, and the population studied was created to be a distillation of all of America’s demographics. The survey interviewed people from April 24-28, meaning some responses were collected before the April 25 White House Correspondents Dinner, and some after.

When Donald Trump got approval from Congress to demolish the East Wing of the White House in order to build a massive 90,000 sq ft ballroom, creating a space to hold more than double the capacity of the previous event space, Trump said the ballroom would cost $400 million to be built, and achieved congressional approval by claiming that all $400 million would be coming from private donations and from Trump’s personal wealth.

After an armed suspect rushed the lobby of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 25, Donald Trump claimed that the ballroom needed to be pushed forward.

Just days later, Lindsay Graham submitted a bill to Congress requesting $332 million of taxpayer dollars to finish funding the ballroom. According to Graham, Trump only received $68 million in donations, a far cry from the $400 million he expected. The timeline of Donald Trump’s ballroom announcement would have almost certainly impacted this poll, but Ipsos has not confirmed this fact.

Whether Trump’s switch-up on using taxpayer dollars for the ballroom impacted the poll or not, the results were overwhelmingly opposing the President’s wishes.

Trump released multiple statements on Truth Social alongside his speech on April 25, stating ““What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump continued to claim that “This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House.”

The survey found that 56 per cent of respondents are opposed to the project, which began in October 2025. The East Wing of the White House (often referred to as the heart of the White House) has lain in ruin for more than six months, with construction equipment marring the view of DC’s Diamond.

Less than 30 per cent of respondents said that they support the project and 16 per cent did not answer the question. The number of people who abstained from answering the question was the same percentage that refused the question in October. What’s more, 47 per cent of respondents claimed that they ‘strongly opposed’ Trump’s plan.

The survey also included questions about Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch between the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the plan to print Trump’s signature on paper money, and asked respondents whether they were a supporter of the MAGA movement. Fifty-two per cent of respondents oppose Trump’s massive archway, with 41 per cent strongly opposing it.

A whopping 68 per cent of respondents disagreed with Trump’s signature on their money, with 52 per cent in strong opposition. Finally, a shocking 71 per cent of respondents claimed they are not a fan of the MAGA movement. With 32 per cent of respondents having voted for Trump, it means at least 38 of the 1,292 people surveyed who voted for Trump no longer identify as MAGA supporters.

As Trump’s approval numbers continue to sink, polls like this try to shed light on how his voter base views his actions.

After the legendary analytics firm Gallup announced in February that it would cease its famous presidential approval rating poll after 88 years of informing American voters.

Gallup polls consistently showed Trump’s approval numbers dipping to record-breaking lows, and the President made multiple disapproving comments about Gallup as an organization before cancelling the legendary service.

In total, the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos poll included 37 questions, but 33 have been held back from publication for unnamed reasons.

The remaining 33 questions will be released, but Ipsos has not said when. As of now, the pending answers are ‘held for release’.