Trump makes surprise pit stop to shop for White House ballroom marble

January 02, 2026 Vaclavien Pynzarien
Trump makes surprise pit stop to shop for White House ballroom marble

WASHINGTON ‒ Two days into 2026, PresidentDonald Trumpand his motorcade made a surprise pit stop to find just the right marble for hisWhite House ballroom.

Trump, who is staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the holidays, on Jan. 2 stopped at Arc Stone & Tile in Lake Worth, Florida, where Trump "at his own expense" purchased marble and onyx for the ballroom, according to a White House official.

Reporters were not allowed to join the president as he shopped inside the store. After Trump was finished, the motorcade continued on to the Trump International Golf Club, where the president played golf.

More:Trump explains mysterious hand bruises, bleeding in WSJ interview

Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House and prepare for the new ballroom construction as seen from the newly reopened Washington Monument on Nov. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House. An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing at least $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on Oct. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House. <p style=An aerial view shows the Demolition of the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom will be built, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 23, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A golfer tees off as a dump truck exits a makeshift dump site after dropping soil and debris from the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington on Oct. 23, 2025. A construction worker walks through a makeshift dumpsite where soil and debris from the East Wing of the White House are being discarded following U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom, which is being constructed, at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington on Oct. 23, 2025. The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Donald Trump's planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2025. The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. A truck drives out of the White House as work continues to tear down a section of the East Wing of the White House to begin construction of President Donald Trump's planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on Oct. 22, 2025. US President Donald Trump held a glitzy dinner October 15, 2025 to thank billionaires and top companies for donating to the new $250 million ballroom he is building at the White House. The guests included representatives from tech firms like Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Palantir and defense giant Lockheed Martin, according to US media citing a White House guest list. Ongoing construction on the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington, D.C., October 20, 2025. Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. The construction is part of President Donald Trump's plan to build a $250 million ballroom. <p style=Ongoing construction on the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington, D.C., October 20, 2025.

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White House East Wing demolished to clear the way for Trump's ballroom: Photos

It's not the first time Trump has shopped at Arc Stone & Tile, a wholesale stone supplier located about six miles from Mar-a-Lago.According to the company's website, Arc Stone & Tile in 2004 supplied the Italian marble for the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago.

Early site excavation and other construction workfor Trump's 90,000 square-foot White House ballroom, which has beenchallenged in court by historic preservationists, is underway. The White House's East Wing was quickly demolished in October to make way for the addition.

More:Trump taps new architect for White House ballroom amid clash over size

President Donald Trump arrives in his motorcade at an industrial park to purchase marble and onyx from Arc Stone and Tile for the White House ballroom, in Lake Worth, Florida, U.S.

Trump wants the ballroom finished before the end of his term in January 2029. The White House plans to present design plans for the ballroom to the National Capital Planning Commissionat the panel's Jan. 8 meeting.

More:Trump's ballroom: Is it doubling in size? Has construction started?

Trump has vowed to use private donations and his own money to pay for the ballroom. "We're under budget and ahead of schedule," Trump said on Dec. 29 of a project he now says will cost $400 million, significantly more than the $250 million he initially projected.

"It' bigger than I told you ‒ after realizing we're going to do the inauguration in that building," Trump said of the price increase.

President Donald Trump holds an image of a rendering of the new White House ballroom to be built as he meets with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

Trump has said the ballroom ‒ which will have a capacity of 999 people ‒ is needed to hold large White House events that currently take place outdoors or in the much smaller East Room.

More:National Trust files lawsuit to stop Trump's ballroom construction

In December, Trump hired a new lead architect, Shalom Baranes of Washington, DC, after the president clashed with the project's original architect over the size of the massive addition.James McCrery II, the original lead architect, has stayed on as a consultant.

AWashington Post-ABC News-Ipsos pollin October found 56% of Americans oppose the East Wing's demolition and ballroom project ‒ including 45% who said they "strongly oppose" it.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump makes surprise pit stop to shop for White House ballroom marble

 

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