Overview
- Rapper Lil Wayne said he supports President Trump’s White House ballroom during a Friends Keep Secrets podcast appearance that was widely reported on July 21, 2026.
- Wayne said his view comes from a 2023 performance held outdoors at the vice president’s residence, which he described as feeling like a “backyard barbecue,” and he appeared to conflate that event with the White House.
- Construction on the ballroom began in September 2025 after the East Wing was cleared, and the administration says the main ballroom will be privately funded while it seeks congressional money for related security upgrades.
- Critics and social media users linked Wayne’s praise to his 2021 presidential pardon from Trump and challenged the project’s rising costs, demolition of the East Wing, and the administration’s security justification.
- The episode has renewed public and bipartisan congressional scrutiny of the ballroom’s necessity and funding, and lawmakers, donors and the Secret Service remain the key actors to watch next.