Discussions about the ballroom, which Trump started construction on without receiving approval from the US Congress, continue in the capital Washington.
In the images taken by the AA visual team of the final version of the construction, it was noteworthy that the walls of the ballroom had reached the same height as the White House and its roof was partially closed.
In the video recording, it was seen that huge cranes were active around the construction on the east side of the White House and a large group of workers were working in the construction.
The construction, which was stopped by the Federal Court of Appeals on the grounds that "there was no Congressional permission", has been revived thanks to the stay of execution decision given by the Supreme Court with a vote of 5 to 4.
The new ballroom, which is expected to cost approximately 400 million dollars, covers an area of 8 thousand 360 square meters and extends 6 more floors underground.
US business people sponsored the construction of the ballroom
While President Donald Trump did not share the names of those who donated for the construction of the ballroom despite being asked many times, the American Washington Post (WP) newspaper published the names of the people and institutions who donated $330 million for the construction.
According to the newspaper, technology giants Nvidia and Apple were at the top of the list among all donors with the highest donation amount of 25 million dollars.
It was reported that the Israel-supporting Adelson family, known for its closeness to Trump, and Charles Ergen, co-founder and president of the telecommunications company Dish Network, also pledged to donate $25 million each.
Among those who donated $20 million or more to the project were organizations such as Alphabet/Google ($22 million) and the Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation ($20 million).
Additionally, the news included information that there were 67 individuals and institutions who donated more than 10 thousand dollars to the ballroom.
White House officials had previously stated that the ballroom, which was stated to cost $400 million, would be financed entirely by private donors and that no money would come out of taxpayers' pockets.
The White House publicly announced 37 individuals, companies and foundations as donors, but did not specify the details and amounts of individual donations.
On the other hand, the political crisis caused by the financing of the building, which also has military defense features, by technology giants who are close to Trump and have direct business relations with the government, and the changing of the historical texture of the White House, is still felt in the capital.
The ballroom was also designed as a military defense structure
In the statements of the White House and President Donald Trump, it is stated that an underground command center will be created at a depth of 6 floors against possible national security threats under the hall that will host magnificent receptions above ground.
It is noteworthy that the walls of the construction and the steel columns on the ceiling, which were revealed in the last recorded images, are quite thick.
The ballroom, where military defense systems, independent life support units and shelter areas will be located in the section below the ground, will function as a crisis management center in case of a possible attack.
In his post defending the construction of the new ballroom, President Trump said, "We also receive tremendous military protection, drone protection. The building is drone-proof. Missile-proof, as missile-proof as something can be." He used the following expressions.
The construction of the building caused great controversy
The political debates that arose when Trump started the construction of the new ballroom without receiving approval from Congress, as required by US law, and the protests of non-governmental organizations in ethical and historical contexts.
After the matter was taken to court, the Federal Court of Appeals ruled that the project was illegal on August 7, on the grounds that Congressional approval was not received, and decided to stop the construction.
In the text of the court's decision, "The President is not the owner of the White House, but a temporary tenant." The statement was included.
The Supreme Court, by a vote of 5 to 4, temporarily suspended the lower court's decision and paved the way for the continuation of the above-ground work in the project.
The issue of large technology companies, which are close to US President Trump and have business relations with the government, making large donations to the ballroom and the transformation of this structure without approval from Congress continues to be the focus of discussions in the country's capital.
