President Donald Trump spent part of his Friday in Florida shopping for marble and onyx — the latest sign the president is personally invested in transforming the White House into a more ornate showcase of American power and prestige.
Trump's motorcade stopped at Arc Stone & Tile in Lake Worth, Florida, a short drive from his Mar-a-Lago residence, where he looked at materials for the new White House ballroom, according to pool reports cited by The Hill.
A White House official told reporters that Trump was purchasing "marble and onyx, at his own expense," for the project.
The visit underscores how Trump has taken a hands-on approach to renovations across Washington during his second term.
The president has led changes at the White House over the past year, including redoing the Rose Garden and Palm Room to make them more ornate, adding gold trim throughout — especially in the Oval Office — and beginning construction on the ballroom, a project that has been estimated as high as $400 million.
Supporters say Trump is doing what previous administrations refused: restoring grandeur and permanence to iconic American institutions rather than turning them into modernist museums.
Critics, meanwhile, have portrayed the effort as extravagant, with The New Republic mocking Friday's stop as a "random strip mall" visit and highlighting Trump's long-standing fascination with marble as a design signature.
Trump has repeatedly praised marble as a symbol of durability and excellence.
DailyMail.com noted Trump recently admired marble during a Middle East trip, calling it "the real deal" and later describing "perfect marble" in Qatar as "perfecto."
The outlet also reported he has already incorporated marble into White House spaces, including a renovated bathroom off the Lincoln Suite and floors in the Palm Room.
Trump has floated similar marble upgrades elsewhere, including at the Trump-Kennedy Center, which he has also moved to overhaul.
The ballroom project, however, is also tied up in legal and regulatory disputes.
Preservation groups have challenged the construction after Trump ordered the demolition of the White House East Wing, arguing the work proceeded without proper oversight.
A judge has allowed the project to continue so far, but the White House was expected to submit plans to federal planning authorities this week.
The Washington Post reported the administration has laid out a compressed, nine-week timeline to secure approvals from review panels, drawing complaints from preservation watchdogs who say the White House is "building first and asking permission later."
The administration has countered that it has initiated the consultation process and that early work is necessary, with Justice Department lawyers citing national security concerns, including that the White House bunker sits beneath the former East Wing footprint.
For Trump allies, the debate reflects a familiar pattern: elites and bureaucracies objecting to a president who moves quickly, delivers visible results, and insists America's capital should look like the powerhouse it is.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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