‘Absolutely magnificent’: Donald Trump’s dream ballroom hit a Senate rule, and his response was to pressure John Thune into firing someone

According to NOTUS, President Donald Trump is pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. This comes after she ruled that budget rules blocked $1 billion in funding for Trump’s White House ballroom project from being included in the budget reconciliation bill. Republicans do not have enough votes in the Senate to beat a filibuster, so the simple majority path was the only option.

The ballroom has been a long-running project for Trump, who said last September that it would be “absolutely magnificent construction” and “one of the best anywhere in the world.” He had earlier promised the construction “won’t interfere with the current building” and would be “near [the East Wing] but not touching it.” 

However, the façade was demolished shortly after Trump said that, followed by more sections, and eventually the entire East Wing was torn down. Trump initially said the project would be funded by private donors, but the details were never made clear, and the project raised ethical concerns about conflicts of interest. 

Trump’s push to fire the Senate parliamentarian shows a pattern of frustration with budget rules

After an attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump and other Republicans pushed to use taxpayer money for the ballroom instead. MacDonough’s ruling on Saturday blocked this, citing the “Byrd Rule,” which says non-budget items cannot pass with a simple majority.

Senate Republicans said they would revise the provision to comply with the Byrd Rule and try again. But that was not enough for Trump, who called Thune directly to push for MacDonough’s removal. The call was first reported by Burgess Everett and Shelby Talcott at Semafor, and later confirmed by Taylor Giorno and Al Weaver at NOTUS, who cited three people familiar with the request.

Trump called Thune “to express his frustrations with [MacDonough’s] decision” and pressed him to fire her, NOTUS reports. When asked whether he was considering removing MacDonough, Thune clearly said “no,” though he declined to confirm whether Trump had asked him to do so, saying he does not discuss their private conversations. 

The White House also did not confirm the call, with a spokesperson telling NOTUS, “We don’t comment on private conversations that may or may not have happened.” “We’re going through a process that we go through every time we have a reconciliation bill and the people on both sides are mad at the parliamentarian. That’s been true,” Thune said, making clear he would not fire her. 

This is not the first time this has happened either. Last year, during the push to pass Trump’s tax bill through reconciliation, Trump allies again called on Thune to fire MacDonough after she stripped out several Medicaid provisions. Thune held firm then as well, telling reporters he would not overrule or fire her. 

Trump has similarly shown a pattern of pushing back against those who defy his agenda, as seen in his treatment of Senator Bill Cassidy, who paid a political price for standing against him. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X, “Republicans tried to make taxpayers foot the bill for Trump’s billion-dollar ballroom. Senate Democrats fought back – and blew up their first attempt.” 

He added, “Americans don’t want a ballroom. They don’t need a ballroom. And they sure as hell should not be forced to pay for one.” Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the top Democrat on the committee, said he expects Republicans to change the bill “to appease Trump” and that Democrats are ready to challenge any such changes.

Ryan Wrasse, a spokesperson for Thune, wrote on X, “Redraft. Refine. Resubmit. None of this is abnormal during a Byrd process,” suggesting the Senate will continue working through the reconciliation process as usual. 

The ballroom is just one of several ways Trump has been making changes to landmarks in Washington. He has added gold details to the Oval Office, paved over the White House rose garden to build a patio similar to his Florida club Mar-a-Lago, and renamed institutions like the Kennedy Center to include his name.

Trump has also announced plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, and a lawsuit has been filed to stop his $13 million makeover of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. 

Meanwhile, Trump’s behavior on the world stage has also drawn attention, including a recent moment where he was caught appearing to look at a foreign leader’s private notes during a meeting with Xi Jinping. The ballroom project may have hit a roadblock for now, but with Senate Republicans already planning to revise and resubmit the provision, the fight over taxpayer funding for the project is far from over.