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Trump White House ballroom using foreign steel: Report causes massive outrage; 'so much for America First'
President Donald Trump, who's championed local industries is coming under fire after a report revealed his new White House ballroom is using foreign steel.
President Donald Trump is facing a lot of flak online after a report revealed that his new White House ballroom is using foreign steel. They have reportedly secured tens of millions of dollars worth of donated foreign steel for Trump's $400 million ballroom project, which is coming up in the East Wing.
ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg-based firm, which is the world's second-largest steel maker is providing the steel for Trump's new project, New York Times reported. Notably, Trump has championed the local steel industry, promising to strengthen it and even threatening stiff tariffs on foreign metals to protect manufacturers from foreign competitors.
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Given the president's earlier stance, the White House actions have been viewed as hypocritical by many, who are now slamming the Republican head of state for not walking the talk.
Trump ballroom using foreign steel: Report causes outcry
One person reacted to the report of the Trump ballroom using foreign steel and wrote on X “The donated steel is reportedly produced in Europe, despite Trump’s strong push for “America First” steel policies.”
Another added “WHY IS DONALD TRUMP USING FOREIGN STEEL FOR HIS VANITY BALLROOM? What happened to 'America First?'.”
Yet another person said “White House Secures Foreign Steel for Ballroom Project. So much for America First. Donated or not, they should be using American steel. Trump is selling out and looting America.”
What to know about ArcelorMittal and Trump's ballroom
The details of the donation have not been disclosed by the White House. However, President Trump in October 2025 had said that he had been offered a donation of steel for the ballroom valued at $37 million.
Speaking of the donation, Trump had said it was ‘great steel as opposed to garbage steel, because they dump a lot of garbage around. You know, steel is like everything else, including human beings. Steel could be high quality, and it can be low quality. He wants to make sure it’s high quality.’
His remarks had come days before the White House made adjustments to the tariff system, which could potentially benefit ArcelorMittal by ‘cutting in half the tariffs applied to exports of automotive steel from its Canadian plant,’ as per NYT.
Amid the row over foreign steel being used in Trump's new ballroom, Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, said that the president was ‘making the White House beautiful and giving it the glory it deserves at no cost to the taxpayer — something everyone should celebrate.’
“Only people with a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome would find a problem with that,” he added, as per NYT.
