Trump signs final beam at White House ballroom site

President Donald Trump appeared at the White House ballroom construction site on November 4, signed a steel beam described as the project’s final one and watched workers raise it, a day after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. Trump used the appearance to describe the project as ahead of schedule and under budget. He did not give a completion date, total cost or project budget in the remarks reported from the site. The administration’s account of the project also included Trump’s statement that private donors were paying for construction, but he provided no donation total or breakdown. Trump said the ballroom roof would include a port capable of holding more than 100 drones, and that the building would have five stories below ground. He described the roof as able to support helicopters and resist drones, missiles and bullets, and said military requests had shaped some underground construction. The remarks did not include test results or technical specifications for those features. Experts have questioned whether attack drones could practically operate from the site, while the Secret Service already operates a surveillance drone port...