President Donald Trump invited guests at tonight’s state dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to view the construction of the new ballroom at the White House, adding that if it was ready, more people would have been able to attend.
“As a special treat in honor of President Xi and Madam Peng, I’d like to invite everyone in the room to visit through that beautiful curtain in the back, the door, it’s all lit up and looks beautiful,” Trump said in the East Room. “I can tell you that tonight, if we had it, we would have had way more than 1,000 people with standing room only, and this room has about 145.”
“They’ve been looking for this for over 150 years, all presidents, and they will shortly have it,” Trump said, adding that the ballroom is “one year away from completion.”
Trump suggested that guests view the construction after the entertainment concludes.
“Anybody wants to walk into a construction site that’s nice and clean and sparkling, it’s our honor to have you do so,” Trump said.
CNN has previously reported that a highly sophisticated secure bunker is being installed beneath the ballroom, and it’s unclear if that would be visible in the current construction.
Yesterday, Trump told reporters that he wished the ballroom was completed in time for Xi’s state dinner.
During his remarks at the dinner, Trump also celebrated the “foundation of commerce and mutual respect” between the US and China, adding that “President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure.”
“Americans and Chinese have always exchanged goods, knowledge, customs, and ideas. This has been the foundation of commerce and mutual respect between our countries, and together we can continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations,” Trump said.
This post has been updated with additional information.