Watters, 47, recounted the alleged conversation to a large crowd at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix on Dec. 20

Jesse Watters; Donald Trump.Credit : Shannon Finney/Getty;Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Jesse Watters claims President Donald Trump told him he is constructing the new White House ballroom as a “monument” to himself — and that he’s doing it “because no one else will.”

The Fox News host recounted the alleged conversation while speaking at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, a multiday conservative conference and festival in Phoenix, on Saturday, Dec. 20. A video of the moment has since been posted on X.

Watters, 47, told the large crowd that he was sharing a meal with Trump, 79, when the president asked him if he wanted to see a rendition of “the big, beautiful ballroom.”

“I said, ‘Sure, let me see it,’ “ Watters continued. “He [Trump] rolls the whole thing out. And guys, I don’t know if you know this — the ballroom is huge. Like, I said, ‘Mr. President, the ballroom is four times the size of the White House.’ ”

McCrery Architects/The White House

“He said, ‘Jesse, it’s a monument. I’m building a monument to myself — because no one else will,’ ” Watters added, eliciting loud laughs from the audience.

Trump recently said that the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which is being built on the site of the former East Wing, will now cost $400 million — a significant jump from earlier estimates.

Trump announced the updated price tag on Dec. 17 during a Hanukkah reception at the White House, where he also revealed that a federal judge has allowed construction on the controversial project to move forward. He repeated the figure multiple times while thanking the official for clearing the way for continued construction, describing the ruling as an act of “courage.”

The ballroom — which is being funded entirely by private donors, including a contribution from Trump himself — is expected to be completed by summer 2028.

Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing as construction begins on the White House ballroom on Oct. 20, 2025.PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty

Trump has argued that the sprawling ballroom is needed so future presidents can host large events indoors rather than on the South Lawn.

It’s unclear just how many people the space can accommodate. Trump told NBC News in September that it would hold up to 900 people; BBC reporting cites plans for a capacity of 1,350.

On Dec. 16, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected a request from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to temporarily halt construction while the project undergoes additional review, the Associated Press reported.

However, the judge said he plans to hold a hearing in January on the group’s request for a preliminary injunction and warned the administration not to make underground construction decisions that would lock in the design of the ballroom above ground, per Bloomberg.