Gavin Newsom likened President Donald Trump to a certain controversial French monarch for continuing his ballroom construction amid the government shutdown.
The California governor’s press office posted an edited image of Trump’s face overlayed on a fictitious portrait of France’s last queen, with the caption, “TRUMP ‘MARIE ANTOINETTE’ SAYS, ‘NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!’”
The president, known for his extravagant taste, is nearly tripling the size of his residence with a $200 million gilded expansion.
A White House official confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday that the construction will be unaffected by the shutdown.
“There will not be a stoppage of ballroom work when the shutdown occurs,” the official said.
Trump’s aides clarified that donors are privately funding the 90,000-square-foot addition to the Executive Suite, so the shutdown, which began at 12:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, does not affect it.
CBS News previously reported that companies helping to foot the bill include Google, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Palantir. And on Monday, Alphabet-owned YouTube handed over $22 million to the Trust for the National Mall “to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom” while settling a lawsuit.
Newsom’s press office trolled Trump earlier over the continued work by posting a mock conversation between “DEMOCRATS,” “MAGA,” and the president.
The post on X read, “DEMOCRATS: Lets make health care more affordable — lets keep the ongoing funding!”
The office wrote “MAGA,” as replying “No,” and President Trump as replying, “‘Go F— Yourself’ (actual quote) and I’m gonna keep building my ballroom.”