Arizona Senator Mark Kelly shared a video on the social media platform X where he shares his thoughts on the gilded ballroom that President Donald Trump proposed to add to the white house.
There were various users who shared their frustrations with this perspective of the ballroom, with many leaving comments expressing anger. Some comments came from voters who vowed to ensure that Kelly is not reelected in the next term.
The comment that most people have latched onto from Senator Mark Kelly’s video is, “The president started talking about this thing with $100 billion and $200 billion, and he was going to pay for it. And how it’s $1 billion or $100 million, $200 million, and now $1 billion of mostly American people to pay for a gilded ballroom when they cannot afford to drive their kids to a soccer game.”
His comment was in reference to a constituent who allegedly reached out to him. Her daughter reportedly has cancer and, for her treatment, needs to drive a 300-mile round-trip every so often. Because of rising gas prices, this is not something that she can afford.
According to President Trump, a new State Ballroom in the White House East Wing is meant to provide a larger, dedicated space for official gatherings since the current room only holds 200 people. It is also expected to enhance the presidential bunker.
Reactions to Arizona Senator Mark Kelly’s Statement
Commenters were quick to criticize Kelly with various observations of their own. One person in particular wrote, “The $1B is for an underground security center, bombproof, including a hospital, that will benefit all future Presidents, employees and guests at the White House. It is not for the ballroom. I am so tired of your lies. This Arizona resident will be actively working to make sure you are not reelected.”
Another person wrote, “Another lie. The ballroom is being built by donations. The $1B request was for secret service and lots of other things plus security items for the ballroom. The USA has no facility for large national security events. This ballroom will fill the need. As for your constituent, why didn’t you offer to pay for her gas? Have her start a GoFundMe and you can tweet the fund and she’ll have plenty of gas money because Americans are generous.“
As the video continues to go viral, commenters continue to express their frustrations in the replies. Senator Mark Kelly has not made any comment about this.
