Self-aggrandizement is the act of inflating one’s own importance, power, reputation, or wealth, often through boastful, manipulative, or ruthless behavior. It stems from deep insecurity or narcissism, severely damaging relationships by creating artificial superiority. Key behaviors include bragging, putting others down, and monopolizing conversations.
The Trump Gold Card is a fast-track U.S. residency program initiated for wealthy foreign nationals, requiring a $1 million contribution to the U.S. Department of Commerce and a $15,000 processing fee. Announced in September 2025, it acts as an expedited, “supercharged” Green Card, with limited, early adoption reported as of April 2026.
Gold Card: Focused on FULL residency with a $1 million donation.
Platinum Card: Requires a $5 million contribution, aimed at ultra-wealthy individuals for faster processing and tax advantages.
Sen. Lindsey Graham R-SC, Sen. Katie Britt R-AL, and Sen. Eric Schmidt R-MO unveil plans to authorize $400 million to pay for a new White House ballroom … that WE all pay for, on top of the corporate bribes Trump makes off of these scams.
TPM — Emine Yücel
As reporters on Saturday night were waiting for President Donald Trump to give a press conference from the briefing room following the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attack, a unified message began percolating online among elected Republicans and other influential right-wingers: This is why we need the ballroom.
And once the press briefing got underway, Trump made his pitch: “I didn’t want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House,” he said. “It’s actually a larger room and it’s a much more secure — it’s got — it’s drone proof. It’s bulletproof glass.”
As the week begins, congressional Republicans are trying really, really hard to sell the White House ballroom as a “solution” to rising political violence and the everyday occurrence of gun violence.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) — who was present at the Saturday night dinner and was quickly evacuated — spent Monday morning on Fox News acting as the marketing team for the ballroom.
“The ballroom will be a solution for this because it’ll be on the most secure compound in the world,” Johnson said during an interview on Fox. “It won’t have hotel rooms above it and it’ll have seven-inch-thick glass, for example, on the windows so it’ll be a very safe environment to do events like this. We need a place … and the president keeps pointing it out.”
Trump began planning the construction of a large ballroom at the White House complex when he took office last year. Workers undertook the work of demolishing the East Wing of the building in October 2025 to start construction. The project has faced outrage and legal challenges. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon issued an order halting construction and finding that, if Trump wants his ballroom, Congress will have to approve it.
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” Leon wrote in the colorful, exclamation point-strewn ruling. “[B]allroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion,” he concluded.
In the wake of what the Department of Justice has said was an attempt on the president’s life, Republicans see the moment to do just that.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) chimed in on Monday, saying “a ballroom is imperative.”
Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) on Sunday said he is “filing the ‘Build the Ballroom Act’ to create explicit statutory authority for a White House Ballroom.” Meanwhile, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) announced her team is working “to draft legislation ensuring the White House Ballroom is completed.”
“I don’t believe congressional approval is required for the project, but if it’ll keep activist judges on the sideline, so be it,” Boebert said in a Sunday social media post.
Across the Capitol building, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) — who at times can be a thorn in the side of the Republican agenda — said he would be “dropping a bill tomorrow.”
“Let’s build the Ballroom,” Paul said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went even a step further, saying the ballroom is necessary and “critical for our national security.”
“The White House ballroom project is not just a fun project for President Trump — like you will read in the media,” Leavitt said on Monday. “It is actually critical for our national security that a larger, secure building on this complex … is built to accommodate not only large amounts of guests, but also the president, the vice president, members of the Cabinet, the line of secession in this country should be able to gather freely in safety, without the fear of threats or political violence. And the White House ballroom will provide that.”
A stand-alone ballroom bill would likely need some support from Democrats in the Senate in order to pass it. But congressional Republicans are also reportedly discussing greenlighting the ballroom construction in their reconciliation bill, which would only require a simple majority vote in both chambers.
Construction: The original East Wing was demolished in October 2025 to begin the project.
Design & Structure: Led by McCrery Architects and Clark Construction, with engineering by AECOM, the project includes a lavishly decorated, 90,000-square-foot total space addition that includes a new wing. It features bulletproof glass and a “glass bridge” connecting it to the main residence.
Underground Complex: Beneath the ballroom, a “massive” military complex is being built, designed for high-level security, including a bunker.
Legal Challenges: The National Trust for Historic Preservation and other groups filed lawsuits alleging improper procedures, leading to temporary halts. However, as of April 18, 2026, an appeals court allowed construction to continue while the DOJ challenged a lower court’s injunction.
The project represents the first major change to the White House’s exterior appearance in over 80 years.
The Grift: We know Trump gets paid from ALL of his grift projects.
The “donations” from Google, Apple, META, foreign sources, and U.S. MEGA Corporations will be lining Trump’s pockets and buying THEM favor for regulations, taxes, just name it.
It’s that simple, and used to be illegal. Thanks again MAGA and ALL Republicans.
Bessent: “There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial.”
Starting in June 2026, U.S. $100 bills will begin featuring the signature of President Donald Trump. This marks the first time in U.S. history that a sitting president’s signature will appear on paper currency, breaking a 165-year tradition.
The announcement: The U.S. Treasury announced that President Trump’s signature will appear on future U.S. paper currency alongside the Secretary of the Treasury, marking the first time in history a sitting president’s signature has appeared on bills.
What’s changing: The bills will now carry the signatures of the Treasury Secretary and the President, replacing the longstanding Secretary-Treasurer pairing. Trump’s signature will replace that of U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach.
Placement: The signature will appear in the bottom-left corner of the bill, replacing the signature of the U.S. Treasurer.
The Signature: It will feature a stylized, sharp-edged signature similar to those used on previous executive orders and legislation.
Pairing: The bills will feature the signature of President Trump alongside the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent.
The stated reason: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move is in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Timeline: The first $100 bills with Trump’s signature are expected to be printed in June, followed by other bills in subsequent months. It could take weeks for the new bills to circulate through banks.
Legal questions: Federal law prohibits the depiction of a living president on U.S. currency — but this applies to portraits, not signatures. A Rutgers monetary historian noted the move will come with political pushback, but that the Treasury Secretary may have the authority to decide who signs the currency.
Political reaction: Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to stop Trump’s signature from appearing on U.S. currency or securities, saying “U.S. currency belongs to the American people, not the President.“
Existing U.S. currency remains valid regardless of whose signatures appear on it — what changes is precedent, as no president had ever been part of the signing tradition in the 165-year history of printed U.S. paper money.
