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CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins corrected Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) after the congresswoman repeated a debunked claim that President Donald Trump’s top priority during the government shutdown is building the new White House ballroom.
The tense exchange unfolded Monday night on “The Source” as Crockett pivoted from a question about the shutdown to attack Trump’s East Wing renovation plans.
“The president has time to do everything but what he needs to focus on,” the lefty pol said.
“In fact, we heard the press secretary say his main priority is the ballroom — the ballroom that no one asked for. The ballroom that requires him to destroy historic pieces of the White House.”
Collins quickly interrupted to clarify that Crockett’s statement took the White House’s earlier comments out of context.
“Yeah, and that context of the comment from Karoline Leavitt — she was asked if the president was working on any other renovations when it came to the White House,” the anchor said.
“And she was saying his focus was the ballroom.”
The fact-check came after a week of confusion surrounding remarks by Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, which went viral when Acyn Torabi of the progressive outlet MeidasTouch shared them in a misleading tweet.
At an Oct. 23 White House briefing, Leavitt was asked whether the president was considering “any other renovations or significant projects” beyond the new ballroom and Rose Garden patio.
She replied: “Not to my knowledge, no. But he’s a builder at heart, clearly. And so his heart and his mind is always churning about how to improve things here on the White House grounds. But at this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the president’s main priority.”
Torabi posted a shortened version of that exchange on X, writing only: “Leavitt: At this moment in time, the ballroom is really the president’s main priority.”
The clip racked up more than 2 million views and drew outrage from Democratic lawmakers and left-leaning commentators who accused Trump of pursuing vanity projects while federal employees went unpaid.
“Good to know,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in response.
“Honestly, you can’t make this s–t up,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“Costs are exploding and people need relief,” chimed in Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio).
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“If the President can take a break from knocking down the East Wing and ballroom planning, I’d love to show him our district where many of his supporters need his help.”
But the post’s framing was inaccurate, as Leavitt’s full response made clear she was referring specifically to renovation work — not the president’s governing agenda.
The tweet nonetheless spread widely across social media and cable segments before being challenged by multiple outlets.
The ballroom project itself has become a lightning rod, drawing sharp criticism from Democrats who say it symbolizes misplaced priorities during a shutdown now approaching historic length.
The White House has said the expansion, with an estimated $300 million price tag, is being financed entirely by private donors.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has called on all 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls to “tear down” the ballroom if elected.
Crockett’s office has not commented on the CNN interview or whether she plans to correct her remarks. The Texas Democrat earlier told Collins she had “no idea” when the shutdown might end.
The Post has sought comment from Crockett.
English (US)