Hamas says it will hand over another body of an Israeli hostage on Monday, as President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline looms.

If the latest body is handed over, Hamas will still have the bodies of 12 Israeli hostages in its custody. Trump’s deadline will expire Monday night. Hamas has made no mention of the identity of the deceased hostage set to be released.

‘Within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal, the Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades will hand over the body of one of the occupation prisoners, which was recovered today in the Gaza Strip, at 9 PM Gaza time,’ Hamas announced in a statement.

Trump acknowledged on social media Saturday that some of the deceased hostages are ‘hard to reach.’

‘Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. ‘Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.’

Hours before Trump’s post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with the families of Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, two U.S. citizens who were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

Their bodies are among those still being held by Hamas.

‘We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas,’ Rubio wrote in an X post. ‘We will not rest until their—and all—remains are returned.’

Authorities believed Chen, a 19-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, but was later declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Huckabee noted Rubio’s visit to Israel was ‘very productive in moving forward’ the U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, adding the plan cannot work until all hostages, living and deceased, are released.

Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Israeli authorities have confirmed they received the body of a deceased hostage from the Red Cross on Monday evening, as President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline looms.

The body was handed over to the IDF and Shin Bet by the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip. Hamas still has the bodies of 12 Israeli hostages in its custody. Trump’s deadline will expire Monday night. Hamas has made no mention of the identity of the deceased hostage set to be released.

‘Within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal, the Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades will hand over the body of one of the occupation prisoners, which was recovered today in the Gaza Strip, at 9 PM Gaza time,’ Hamas announced in a statement.

Trump acknowledged on social media Saturday that some of the deceased hostages are ‘hard to reach.’

‘Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. ‘Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.’

Hours before Trump’s post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with the families of Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, two U.S. citizens who were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

Their bodies are among those still being held by Hamas.

‘We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas,’ Rubio wrote in an X post. ‘We will not rest until their—and all—remains are returned.’

Authorities believed Chen, a 19-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, but was later declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Huckabee noted Rubio’s visit to Israel was ‘very productive in moving forward’ the U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, adding the plan cannot work until all hostages, living and deceased, are released.

Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Small business owners are losing billions in funding due to the government shutdown, with industry leaders publishing a letter Monday demanding lawmakers pass a ‘clean CR’ and reopen the federal government. 

‘On behalf of our organizations representing millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners, we are calling on U.S. Senators to put an end to the instability and hardship by passing a clean continuing resolution, which will allow negotiations to continue on spending measures moving through Congress, including the future of the COVID credits that will expire at year-end,’ a letter addressed to U.S. senators across the board and first obtained by Fox News Digital states. ‘The viability of thousands of small businesses is at risk due to the shutdown, and it is unacceptable that the livelihoods of owners and their employees are being sacrificed for spending demands that can be resolved through regular order.’ 

The letter was signed by six industry groups, including the Family Business Coalition, International Franchise Association, Job Creators Network, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, National Restaurant Association and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. 

The government shut down Oct. 1 after Senate lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement before a midnight deadline. Leaders of both political parties have since cast blame for the shutdown on each other, with Republicans arguing Democrats sought taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants in their legislation, while Democrats have denied the accusation and claimed Republicans won’t join the negotiation table on healthcare for citizens. 

The letter urged lawmakers to reopen the government while pointing to a handful of examples of how Americans are suffering due to the shutdown, including small business owners losing out on billions in funding. 

‘According to the (Small Business Administration), 4,800 small businesses have been blocked from receiving $2.5 billion in capital since the start of the shutdown,’ the groups warned. ‘Every day the shutdown continues means another 320 small businesses will not have access to the SBA-backed commercial loans these businesses were counting on for expansion and growth. Hundreds of thousands of workers are impacted by the suspension through furloughs, reduced jobs and wages, along with missed opportunities for local economies.’  

The Small Business Administration released data earlier in October showing 320 small business owners have lost $170 million in funding each day due to the shutdown, which has resulted in at least $2.5 billion in funding that cannot be delivered to business owners. 

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox Digital that the ‘Democrat shutdown’ has caused ‘chaos’ that is gripping business owners no matter the size of the company. 

‘From Wall Street to Main Street, the Democrat shutdown has generated unnecessary chaos and economic uncertainty. Millions of small businesses and entrepreneurs have made it very clear — it is time for Senate Democrats to pass the clean continuing resolution, reopen the government, and stop using Americans as ‘leverage’ for their radical policies,’ Rogers said. 

The letter added that disruptions to air travel and air traffic controller shortages have affected business owners and consumers, alike, and that small business owners are feeling the pinch of ‘ever-increasing costs and diminishing choices’ as they relate to healthcare coverage. 

‘With respect to the rising cost of health insurance premiums, small businesses have been the hardest hit by years of ever-increasing costs and diminishing choices. Premium tax credit expiration represents only a fraction of the reason why many small businesses are seeing hefty premium increases for next year. Lowering costs and increasing affordable choices will be resolved through comprehensive reforms that need to be addressed by Congress and state legislatures. Congress must commit to this important task as well,’ the letter stated. 

‘The effects of the shutdown will only grow wider with each passing day unless the Senate acts. Passing a clean CR is a smart, responsible, and bipartisan course of action. It will provide certainty for small business owners, employees and workers who are counting on actions from their elected officials that produce certainty and stability. We urge every Senator to support a clean CR that allows the appropriations process to move forward to ensure the federal government remains open and operational,’ the letter said. 

The shutdown currently does not have an end in sight. Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are taking issue with Trump traveling to Asia this week to meet with foreign leaders. 

‘Americans deserve a government that works as hard as they do — not a leader that flies away from responsibility at the time they need one most,’ Schumer said Friday. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, when asked about Schumer’s remarks, told the media Monday that ‘President Trump has entrusted us to fix this because this is an Article I branch problem.’

‘The president tried his best, he brought them in before all this madness started, and Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries effectively told him to jump in the Potomac,’ Johnson said, CBS News reported. ‘So it’s up to the Democrats, everybody knows that. The president said he’ll meet with them on any issue under the sun. We’re delighted to talk about it, but they have to get the government reopened first.’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is tightening his grip on power by elevating younger loyalists amid growing instability inside the Kremlin as he ages, according to reports.

On Sunday, The Telegraph reported that Putin, 73, who has ruled Russia for more than two decades, is ‘running out of cards to play’ as pressure mounts both domestically and abroad. 

The Federal Security Service (FSB) also opened a criminal case against exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky and 22 members of the Anti-War Committee of Russia, accusing them of plotting a seizure of power, per reports. Khodorkovsky spent a decade in a Siberian prison before founding the Anti-War Committee in 2022.

John Herbst, Senior Director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told the U.K. outlet that ‘the Kremlin is falling into paranoia.’

‘All the people around him have started thinking about a world beyond Putin, so he has arranged his own elite in a really careful way, so there are no clear seams along which it would kind of rip apart,’ Henry Hale, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital. 

‘He also has members of his own family now that are starting to rise in the ranks. One of the ones that has gotten the most attention is Anna Evgenievna Tsivilyova, née Putina,’ Hale said. 

Tsivilyova, 52, is Putin’s first cousin once removed and currently heads the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, a state-run organization that supports Russian soldiers and veterans. 

She has also served as chair of the board of the Kolmar Group, one of Russia’s largest coal companies.

‘The younger people are being brought up by the older generation integrated seamlessly into the power pyramid,’ Hale said.

‘Putin is worried about what happens as he ages and if you don’t provide some opportunity for younger people to rise up, you know, then the regime might come under some pressure.’

‘These people can be trusted because they’re related to people close to Putin, and they can also be young and energetic. The younger people are being brought up by the older generation, integrated seamlessly into the power pyramid,’ Hale added.

In 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a brief mutiny, sending his fighters toward Moscow before abruptly standing down only to die weeks later in a plane crash. 

Now, the Kremlin’s focus has shifted to silencing opposition abroad. 

‘Tensions remain within the elite and Putin wants to get rid of any possible risks,’ Hale said. ‘The 2023 incident was a warning from Putin to his own elite, his own inner circle, not to dare try anything. Putin and his people are watching each other carefully and so don’t try anything funny,’ Hale added.

Recently, western sanctions, less oil revenue, and war costs could push Russia toward recession.  

The Treasury Department under President Donald Trump sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, escalating pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine. 

According to reports, the Russian government could raise taxes and increase domestic borrowing to close the gap.

‘Putin has weathered the main crisis that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine brought Russia, which was the initial shock of the invasion and its failure to take Ukraine in a matter of days,’ Hale added. 

‘But war brings uncertainty and there’s a risk of disastrous defeat, underperforming expectations. All the people around him start thinking about a world beyond Putin.’

‘That said, well, I think Putin’s regime is fairly stable at the moment,’ Hale concluded.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kremlin for comment.

President Donald Trump told U.S. troops aboard the USS George Washington at Japan’s Yokosuka Naval Base on Tuesday that the ‘first batch of missiles for Japan’s F-35 fighter jets ‘will arrive this week,’ suggesting that U.S. defense deliveries to Tokyo are moving ahead of schedule.

The comments came during Trump’s hour-long remarks to sailors as part of his wider Asia trip, which included a stop in Malaysia before Japan, where he met with the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and signed a new U.S.-Japan framework agreement on rare earth minerals. Later this week, Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Washington has approved several large arms sales to Japan, including advanced AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles designed for F-35s.

Trump praised the U.S.’ alliance with Japan, calling it ‘one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world.’

Prime Minister Takaichi, sharing the stage with Trump, said Japan was ‘committed to fundamentally reinforcing its defense capability’ and ‘ready to contribute even more proactively to peace and stability in the region.’

Trump also touted Japan’s and the U.S.’ stock markets reaching record highs, saying it was a sign that ‘we’re doing something right.’

Trump’s appearance underscored Washington’s deepening security cooperation with Tokyo as regional tensions with China and North Korea persist. Ahead of his Asia trip this week, Trump has made repeated invitations to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though no concrete preparations are underway.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct a ‘comprehensive’ investigation into former President Joe Biden’s autopen use.

The committee’s GOP majority released a 100-page report on Tuesday morning detailing findings from its months-long probe into Biden’s White House, specifically whether his inner circle covered up signs of mental decline in the ex-president, and if that alleged cover-up extended to executive actions signed via autopen without Biden’s full awareness.

‘Faced with the cognitive decline of President Joe Biden, White House aides — at the direction of the inner circle — hid the truth about the former president’s condition and fitness for office,’ the report said.

The report also detailed a ‘haphazard documentation process’ for pardons made by Biden, which the committee argued left room for doubt over whether the former president made those decisions himself.

‘In the absence of sufficient contemporaneous documentation indicating that cognitively deteriorating President Biden himself made a given executive decision, such decisions do not carry the force of law and should be considered void,’ the GOP report said.

‘The Department of Justice should immediately conduct a review of all executive actions taken by President Biden between January 20, 2021, and January 19, 2025. Given the patterns and findings detailed herein, this review should focus particularly on all acts of clemency. However, it should also include all other types of executive actions.’

In addition to concerns about who signed off on Biden’s executive actions, Comer spent part of the report raising concerns about Hunter Biden’s role in the pardon process.

Fox News Digital previously reported that ex-Biden Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told investigators that Hunter Biden was in the room for some pardon discussions — specifically the controversial preemptive pardons the ex-president gave to his relatives.

‘It was towards the end,’ said a portion of Zients’ transcript included in the report. ‘What comes to mind is the family discussions. But I don’t know — that doesn’t mean that was it. It was the pardons towards the end, very end of the administration. And I think it was a few meetings, not many meetings.’

Comer’s report said, ‘Zients testified that President Biden included his son, Hunter Biden, in the decision-making process for and meetings about pardons.’

‘This apparently included the meeting to discuss the pardons of five Biden family members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and the members of Congress who served on the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, and their staff,’ the report said.

The Oversight Committee called a total of 14 witnesses across three months, mainly consisting of top Biden administration aides — including some who had known him for decades.

Despite nearly 47 hours of interviews and sworn depositions, however, Comer suggested he believed aides covered for Biden even in the committee room.

‘Throughout the Committee’s investigation, senior Biden White House aides presented a perspective of President Biden’s cognitive health completely disconnected from that of the American public,’ the report said.

‘Not one of the Committee’s 14 witnesses was willing to admit that they ever had a concern about President Biden being in cognitive decline. In fact, numerous witnesses could not recall having a single conversation about President Biden’s cognitive health with anyone inside or outside of the White House.’

Comer spent a significant amount of time in the report criticizing former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor. O’Connor’s sworn deposition was among the shortest sit-downs of the investigation, with the doctor having invoked the Fifth Amendment for all questions save for his name.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital alongside the report, Comer called for the D.C. Health Board of Medicine to investigate O’Connor — and potentially bar him from practicing medicine.

The GOP report called O’Connor’s alleged decision to not conduct a cognitive exam with Biden during his four-year term ‘reckless’ and accused him of making ‘grossly misleading medical assessments.’

‘His refusal to answer questions about the execution of his duties as physician to the president — combined with testimony indicating that Dr. O’Connor may have succumbed to political pressure from the inner circle, influencing his medical decisions and aiding in the cover-up — legitimizes the public’s concerns that Dr. O’Connor was not forthright in carrying out his ultimate duties to the country,’ the report said.

‘The Committee recommends that the District of Columbia Board of Medicine review the actions taken by Dr. O’Connor while serving as the White House physician to President Biden for any potential wrongdoing in the medical care of the former president –– including whether Dr. O’Connor produced false or misleading medical reports to the American people.’

O’Connor’s lawyers previously told Fox News Digital that he invoked the Fifth Amendment over concerns that the scope of the committee’s probe could run afoul of doctor-patient confidentiality standards.

Biden’s allies have repeatedly denounced Comer’s probe as political and having no basis in reality. 

Multiple people who spoke with the committee have argued that concerns about Biden’s mental acuity were made worse by the media and Republican pundits, particularly after his disastrous June 2024 debate against current President Donald Trump.

In an interview with The New York Times in July, Biden affirmed he ‘made every decision’ on his own.

President Barack Obama was angry with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her quick endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 election, according to a new book.

An excerpt from ABC News’ Jonathan Karl’s upcoming book, ‘Retribution,’ asserts that Pelosi and Obama had come to an understanding that Harris ‘should not simply be handed the nomination unchallenged.’ Nevertheless, Pelosi handed her an endorsement within 24 hours of Biden’s withdrawal.

‘The Obamas were not happy,’ a source close to Pelosi told Karl, according to an excerpt obtained by the Daily Mail.

‘This person summed up Obama’s message to Pelosi as, essentially, ‘What the f–k did you just do?’’ Karl wrote.

The book asserts that Obama had deep concerns about Harris’ ability to beat President Donald Trump and wanted Democrats to hold an open convention.

‘Obama and Pelosi — arguably the two most influential figures in the Democratic Party — had privately agreed to abstain from making any endorsements,’ Karl wrote.

‘The former president wanted to know what had happened. Why had Pelosi issued a statement endorsing Harris so soon? Hadn’t he and Pelosi agreed days earlier that party leaders anointing the vice president as Biden’s replacement would be a mistake?’ Karl added.

Obama gave Pelosi an angry phone call, during which Pelosi argued ‘that train has left the station,’ when Biden endorsed Harris during his withdrawal message.

The source close to Pelosi claimed Obama sounded ‘genuinely irritated’ on the call.

Obama himself ultimately waited five days after Biden’s withdrawal before offering his endorsement to Harris in a joint phone call with his wife, Michelle.

‘We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,’ Obama said.

Michelle chimed in, ‘I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.’

U.S. airline travelers are beginning to feel the effects of the ongoing government shutdown. And with no clear end in sight, it’s increasingly likely that Americans could be grappling with flight delays and cancellations just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tuesday marks Day 28 of the shutdown. It’s also the first day that air traffic controllers and other federal workers will see a paycheck showing $0 — putting added strain on a sector that is already dealing with a declining workforce and difficult employment conditions.

‘This Democrat-led shutdown is putting an unnecessary strain on our nation’s aviation system, putting more flights at risk for delays or cancellation,’ Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, chair of the House Transportation Committee’s aviation subcommittee, told Fox News Digital.

After speaking with air traffic controllers directly, Nehls said, ‘They’ve shared their growing concerns about fatigue, distraction and financial hardship as they continue performing essential work without pay.’

‘The busy holiday season is quickly approaching, and the traveling public deserves a safe, efficient, and reliable travel experience. If Senate Democrats continue to refuse to do the right thing and pass the clean continuing resolution, the situation will only get worse,’ Nehls said.

Still, the looming payday hasn’t loosened Senate Democrats from their dug-in position. 

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., argued that the blame game against Democrats over air traffic controllers, and other looming issues like federal food benefits soon running out of money, were ‘all things that the Republicans have been cutting back on.’ 

He noted to Fox News Digital that the administration fired hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees earlier this year based on recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

‘These are things that they’ve constantly been attacking and putting the strain and pressure on air traffic controllers, and now they’re pretending like they care about this, and I just find that to be disingenuous,’ Kim said. ‘And it’s just using our federal workers as pawns when we know that this administration has done everything that they could to decimate and dismantle our civil service and our public service.’

The Senate may vote on a bill this week from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that would pay air traffic controllers, but so far Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not teed it up. Thune said they’d ‘see what the temperature is of our senators’ on that and other funding issues, but he reiterated that the easiest way to pay all federal workers would be to reopen the government. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed a sentiment many Senate Democrats have shared about Cruz’s bill and others like it that would incrementally fund parts of the government; it can’t give President Donald Trump ‘carte blanche to do what he wants.’ 

When asked by Fox News Digital about criticism from Republicans over congressional Democrats’ role in air traffic controllers missing a pay day, he said, ‘Air traffic controllers have been really admirable in coming to work and doing their job.’

Cruz said that he hoped his bill would get a shot, and when asked what his message to Republicans would be to get the bill on the floor, he said, ‘That the Democrats not paying air traffic controllers is reckless.’  

Some 13,000 air traffic controllers are employed across the U.S. Many already work six days per week, faced with a long-simmering shortage of employees.

Because air traffic controllers are deemed essential workers, they are made to work during shutdowns without pay. Instead, they are expected to get back pay when the shutdown is over.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned late last week that it would mean that many air traffic controllers would be forced to take on another job to make ends meet.

‘If you have a controller that’s working six days a week but has to think about, ‘How am I going to pay the mortgage, how am I to make the car payment, how am I going to put food on my kid’s table?’ They have to make choices, and the choice they’re making is to take a second job,’ Duffy said. ‘I don’t want them delivering for DoorDash. I don’t want them driving Uber. I want them coming to their facilities and controlling the airspace.’

And the effects are being felt already, even far outside of Washington, D.C., where Congress is still gridlocked over federal spending.

Los Angeles International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, was forced to issue a temporary ground stop on Sunday morning due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

It was just one of 22 locations that faced disruptions over air traffic controller shortages on Sunday, Duffy told ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

There were more than 3,300 delayed flights across the U.S. as of late Monday afternoon, according to airline tracker FlightAware. There were more than 8,700 delays on Sunday.

And several airports, including in Dallas, Austin and Newark, were all under ‘ground delay’ or ‘ground stop’ advisories early Monday evening, according to advisory bulletins from the FAA. Each advisory was due to staffing issues. 

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., noted that there were ‘three or four’ fast-approaching pressure points, including the payday for air traffic controllers, that could shake loose deeply entrenched Senate Democrats. 

He noted that it wouldn’t be something inside the walls of Congress that could force negotiations, but ‘something extraneous that forces us to come together.’

‘I think the air traffic control has the most potential to light this place up,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘If the senators can’t go home Thursday night because of air traffic control issues, then I think it really could be a pressure point.’

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said the next Democratic presidential nominee must vow to demolish President Donald Trump‘s White House ballroom, proposing the pledge a litmus test for the party’s 2028 contenders.

‘Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE,’ Swalwell wrote on X on Saturday.

Swalwell’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for additional comment.

For the first time in its history, the White House will have a formal ballroom, a new addition built where the East Wing once stood, a project that has become a political flashpoint as photos of the demolition fuel debate over President Trump’s mark on the historic residence.

On July 31, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the planned construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The sprawling ballroom will accommodate approximately 650 seated guests and will stay true to the classical design of the White House.

‘The White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders in other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building’s entrance,’ Leavitt said, adding the new ballroom will be ‘a much-needed and exquisite addition.’

Construction on the White House grounds, which began earlier this month, is estimated to cost $250 million and will be financed by Trump and private donors.

The ballroom isn’t the only update. 

Trump has introduced gold accents in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, a new monument dubbed the ‘Arc de Trump,’ the ‘walk of fame’ with portraits of former presidents, including a photo of the autopen representing former President Joe Biden’s time in office, added stone pavers to the Rose Garden lawn and installed two 88-foot flagpoles.

History is being rewritten on the White House grounds, where a new formal ballroom is rising in place of the East Wing. The project has become a political lightning rod, as images of its construction reignite debate over President Donald Trump’s imprint on the nation’s most iconic address.

While the White House has hosted countless ceremonial events, it has never had a dedicated ballroom. The new structure will fill that void, replacing the historic East Wing with a space designed instead to host large-scale gatherings.

The ballroom is estimated to cost $250 million and will be financed jointly by Trump and private donors.

While the White House has pledged to release details on the individuals and corporations funding the ballroom’s construction, a comprehensive breakdown of contributions has not yet been made public.

During a July 31 briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt detailed the administration’s plans to construct a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the White House grounds.

Leavitt said the new ballroom will accommodate approximately 650 seated guests and will stay true to the classical design of the White House.

‘The White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders in other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building’s entrance,’ Leavitt said on July 31.

She added that the new ballroom will be ‘a much-needed and exquisite addition.’