Fact check: Which u.s. presidents wanted to expand White House ballroom?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided suggest that President Donald Trump has expressed interest in expanding the White House ballroom, with various sources citing different capacities and costs for the project ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. According to some sources, the planned expansion would increase the ballroom's capacity to 900 people ^{[1] [4]}, while others mention a capacity of 650 people ^[3]. The estimated cost of the project is consistently reported to be $200 million ^{[1] [2] [5]}. Multiple presidents may have wanted to expand the White House ballroom, as suggested by a source implying that Presidents and Administrations have longed for a large event space on the White House complex for 150 years ^[3]. However, the majority of the sources focus on President Trump's commitment to the project ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Some sources provide additional context, such as the involvement of McCrery Architects and the estimated cost of $200 million ^[5], while others mention that President Trump is not the first president to propose changes to the White House, citing examples of previous presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman ^[6]. However, the original statement lacks information on which specific U.S. presidents, aside from Trump, have expressed interest in expanding the White House ballroom. Furthermore, the sources do not provide a comprehensive overview of the historical context and the evolution of the White House's event spaces over time ^[3]. The sources also do not discuss potential opposition or criticism to the expansion project, which could provide a more nuanced understanding of the issue ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be misleading in implying that only one or a few U.S. presidents have wanted to expand the White House ballroom, as sources suggest that multiple presidents may have had this desire ^[3]. Additionally, the statement may be incomplete, as it does not provide information on the historical context or the involvement of other presidents in proposing changes to the White House ^[6]. The sources themselves may also be biased, as some appear to be official White House statements or announcements, which could be subject to political spin or selective presentation of information ^[3]. The fact that most sources focus on President Trump's commitment to the project may also indicate a partisan or political bias in the reporting or presentation of the information ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [3]}.