President Donald Trump made his motorcade stop at a Florida strip mall on Friday morning to buy supplies for his $400 million White House ballroom. The presidential convoy arrived at a shopping center in Lake Worth, Florida at 9:46 AM so Trump could visit Arc Stone & Tile, a store that imports Italian marble.
According to Mediaite, a White House official said the president was buying lake and onyx marble at his own expense for the White House ballroom. However, critics pointed out that even though Trump may pay for the materials himself, he was using taxpayer money for the shopping trip since the motorcade and security are publicly funded.
Trump has shown a strong interest in marble during his second term, wanting to use it in many White House projects. He already redid the bathroom in the White House Lincoln Suite completely in marble, and he has suggested adding marble armrests to the Kennedy Center, calling it something “unlike anything ever done or seen before.”
Trump’s marble obsession extends beyond the White House ballroom
In October, Trump shared photos of the Lincoln bathroom’s marble makeover, which included gold fixtures. He wrote on Truth Social that the “art deco green tile style” from the 1940s was “totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.” Trump said he replaced it with black and white polished marble, which he believes is more fitting for Abraham Lincoln’s time period.
The ballroom construction project faced criticism right after Trump started tearing down the entire East Wing of the White House. Trump first said the ballroom would cost around $200 million, but later changed that estimate to $400 million. The president claims the ballroom is completely funded by private donations.
Trump has been staying at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for New Year’s Eve celebrations. While there, he also held meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s recent arrival came with surprising new developments that caught many officials off guard.
The use of the presidential motorcade for personal shopping has raised questions about mixing official resources with private projects. Even though Trump says he’s paying for the marble himself, the security and transportation costs for such trips are covered by taxpayers.
Critics continue to question whether these construction projects are appropriate uses of time and resources during Trump’s presidency. Meanwhile, Jon Stewart’s recent commentary on Trump’s White House ballroom has sparked widespread discussion about the optics of such lavish additions.
Published: Jan 3, 2026 01:15 pm