Donald Trump used funds from the Secret Service and national parks to build a ballroom.

Posted by The Bulwark Daily, Sep 29, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 5 support
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 75%

The Bulwark DailySep 29, 2026

Multiple sources, including two Senate press releases, report that taxpayer funds were redirected from Secret Service accounts toward the White House ballroom, and one reports NPS records showing money rerouted for projects on White House grounds. The sources differ on amounts ($300M to $1.17B), but the core assertion holds, and the national parks element rests on less direct reporting.

What was said

… He asked Republicans in Congress to do it. They didn't. That is essentially saying no. And so that the fact that he's going around them anyway to steal money from Secret Service and national parks to do it anyway, when this thing is probably going to end up about as good as the reflecting pool. To be honest, because again, like, what controls do we have, and I had the architect quit because of health and safety standards, because there was a fire hazard, so just end …

The Bulwark Daily · Sep 29, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. Sen. Blumenthal's June 2026 letter says the Secret Service diverted $1.17 billion in appropriated funds intended for its operations to fund construction of the ballroom.[1]

Supports. Sen. Heinrich's August 2026 press release says the administration inappropriately and illegally diverted more than $300 million in federal funding to the ballroom project.[2]

Supports. PBS NewsHour reports that in June the Secret Service redirected $352 million in taxpayer dollars toward the ballroom project.[3]

Supports. Reporting on National Park Service records says $323 million was rerouted to fund projects on White House grounds, which covers the national parks element of the claim, though less directly.[4]

Supports. The Washington Post, as reported by Yahoo, found about $500 million of ballroom-related costs paid from taxpayer funds without congressional authorization, diverted from the White House Military Office and Secret Service.[5]