Is Trump Trying to Turn the White House into Mini-Mar-a-Lago?

President Donald Trump has already brought Florida man vibes to the White House with his unpredictable, chaos-sowing comments and an apparent love for wading into controversy. Now, renderings of his contentious East Wing renovations beg the question: Is he molding the White House into a mirror image of his South Florida estate?

Trump and Republicans have boasted that donors will fund the $250 million project, which will provide future presidents with an upgraded site to host foreign dignitaries at the White House. But Democrats and other critics argue he bulldozed a historic government building to mold the White House into a Washington, D.C. version of his gaudy South Florida estate.

“The White House is one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the world, yet the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance,” according to a statement from the White House website. “The White House State Ballroom will be a much-needed and exquisite addition of approximately 90,000 total square feet of ornately designed and carefully crafted space, with a seated capacity of 650 people — a significant increase from the 200-person seated capacity in the East Room of the White House.”

But the stark white and gold design looks eerily similar to the 20,000-square-foot ballroom at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago.

At 18 acres, the White House is actually quite similar in size to Mar-a-Lago (17 acres). But the actual White House structure, as it stands after the demolition, is about 8,000 square feet smaller than the estate at Mar-a-Lago, meaning Trump may decide there’s plenty of undeveloped area left for a golf course on the White House grounds.