Congressional allies of President Donald Trump are defending his planned White House ballroom and resisting any notion that Congress should formally prohibit taxpayer funds flowing to the pricey project.
A firestorm of backlash emerged last month when the president ordered the entire East Wing of the White House demolished to make way for his 90,000-square-foot event and office space facility. As loud drilling from the ballroom construction site echoed around the White House grounds on Monday, several polls brought bad news for Trump and Republicans.
Trump’s approval rating tumbled to 37 percent, a record low, with 63 percent disapproving of his job performance, according to a CNN-SSRS survey conducted Oct. 27-30 — after he ordered the entire East Wing demolished without any notice to the public or Congress. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 24-28 put his approval rating higher, 41 percent, against a disapproval rating of 59 percent. But on his handling of the economy, 62 percent disapproved versus 37 percent who approved.
