President Trump on Wednesday defended the hefty price tag for his new ballroom on the East Wing of the White House, saying the space will be double the size and “far higher quality” than initially planned. Trump has long held that the White House needs the 90,000-square-foot ballroom so that future administrations can hold large state gatherings indoors, rather than continuing to use outdoor tents as is done now. The cost of the project has been somewhat of a moving target since it was first announced last year, with Trump initially putting the estimate around $200 million. The figure has ballooned to an estimated $400 million since then. “The only reason the cost has changed is because, after deep rooted studies, it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal, which would not have been adequate to handle the necessary events, meetings, and even future Inaugurations,” the president wrote in a Wednesday morning post on Truth Social. “It will be magnificent, safe, and secure!” he added. “This was a necessary change, it was done long ago, but the Fake News failed to report it, trying to make it look like there was a cost overrun. Actually, it is coming in ahead of schedule, and under budget!”