MAGA author and radio host Eric Metaxas was criticized after claiming that God "raised up" President Donald Trump after two centuries so he could build his new White House ballroom.
Last year, Trump ordered the demolition of the entire East Wing to make way for a 90,000 square-foot ballroom that will dwarf the size of the White House itself, sparking alarm from historical preservationists and the public alike.
Construction started during the recent government shutdown—at the same time that the Trump administration announced that families would not receive SNAP benefits as scheduled. The administration also refused to release contingency funds that would ensure families that rely on these payments don't go hungry.
Senate Republicans have sought (and thus far failed) to allocate $1 billion toward security components tied to the ballroom's construction as part of a broader roughly $70 billion package focused on immigration enforcement, legislation they hope to advance with little or no Democratic backing.
Speaking at the “Rededicate 250” prayer event on the National Mall on Sunday—part of celebrations tied to America’s upcoming 250th anniversary—Metaxas reflected on major moments in U.S. history and argued that “God’s hand” could be seen whenever the nation was “saved” from existential threats.
Metaxas specifically pointed to the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, during which British forces burned parts of Washington, D.C.:
"They burned parts of the city, including the White House, which at that time, if you can believe it, did not yet have a ballroom. It's hard to believe that it would take two centuries for the Lord to raise up a great man to bring that ballroom finally to stand where it needs to stand."
“It’s extraordinary. We only had to wait 200 years.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
The blasphemy was off the charts—and many criticized Metaxas in response.
The ballroom isn't faring well—the Senate parliamentarian ruled late Saturday against the GOP's proposed $1 billion allocation for the ballroom in the Republican budget reconciliation package.
According to Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR,) the ranking Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, the guidance stated that a project “as complex and large in scale” as the proposed ballroom would require coordination across multiple government agencies and Senate committee jurisdictions, placing it outside the scope of the Judiciary Committee.
Merkley said Elizabeth MacDonough determined the provision violated the Byrd Rule, a Senate rule that bars non-budgetary or “extraneous” measures from advancing through the budget reconciliation process.
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