Comedian Bill Maher pushed back against Democrats’ criticism of President Trump’s White House ballroom project on Friday.
During an interview on “Real Time with Bill Maher” with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), the late night host called the discourse over the construction project “so stupid.”
“I don’t care about the ballroom,” Fetterman said.
Maher replied, “I don’t either. It’s so stupid. It’s a Rorschach test of whether you just hate.”
Democrats have slammed Trump over his decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House and replace it with a 90,000 square-foot ballroom. The building will also house a “massive” military complex under its main floor, according to new details shared by the president in March.
Trump previously said the $400 million building project would be entirely funded by private donors, but after a gunman allegedly targeted the president at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner, some Republicans are pushing for the project to be funded by taxpayers.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is leading this legislative effort, said the ballroom would allow the White House to host events like the WHCA and ensure the president’s security.
“It’s very difficult to have a bunch of important people in the same place unless it’s really, really secure,” Graham said. “The times in which we live are unusual. I’ve been up here for a while now, I’ve never felt the sense of threat that exists today.”
Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride (Del.) hit back at Graham’s proposal, noting that her constituents “can’t afford f‑‑‑ing grocery bills or utility bills.”
The congressional funding bill also drew criticism from GOP Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), who urged Congress to focus on cutting down on national debt before expending money on new projects.
The senator told NBC News at the end of last month that the new building should be funded exclusively through private donations, as originally planned.
“We have $39 trillion in debt,” he told the outlet. “Maybe we ought to stop spending money.”
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