Late night talk show hosts have had quite a bit to talk about as of late when it comes to world events. Someone who’s seemingly remained a fixture in the hosts’ monologues, however, is U.S. President Donald Trump. Most recently, POTUS has been making headlines due to his efforts to add a ballroom to the White House. Construction on the project is currently underway, and the plan has drawn the ire of fellow politicians, celebrities and more. With that, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers all shared thoughts while on air.
Jimmy Fallon Makes Jokes About President Trump’s Renovation Plans
While Jimmy Fallon historically hasn’t been too political on his show, he has been weighing in on President Trump’s exploits as of late. During an episode of The Tonight Show this past week, Fallon took a few jabs at the ongoing renovation. Fallon began by noting that the price of the president’s ballroom project – which has led to the demolition of the White House’s East Wing – is already proving to be more expensive than anticipated. With that in mind, Fallon (as seen on YouTube) said this:
Trump just raised the estimated cost of his new ballroom by $100 million to a total of $300 million. America’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s nice to know that even the president can get ripped off on renovations.’
Fallon also brought up the fact that President Trump mentioned that the new ballroom would be connected to the White House by a “glass bridge.” The host then poked fun at the notion by saying, “‘cause when women are dressed in a ballgown, they want to walk over a glass bridge.” During the monologue, Fallon also joked about Trump releasing the list of donors to the ballroom, which includes the likes of Amazon and Apple. However, Fallon quipped that that’s “not the list of names we’re looking for,” referring to the Jeffrey Epstein client list.
Stephen Colbert Skewers President Trump’s Ballroom Ambition
More critiques of the ballroom came from Stephen Colbert of The Late Show. Colbert discussed the news (via YouTube) during his monologue as part of what he referred to as the latest installment of “Trump Smash 2025.” Much of Colbert’s take focused on the destruction to the East Wing and the method that was taken to purportedly prevent journalists for taking photos, and he laid that out as follows:
As of this morning, the East Wing looked like a rotisserie chicken your dog got into. That is very upsetting to look at, and you know the administration knows that because, today, the Secret Service closed access to the Ellipse park, which is a public park from which journalists had been capturing live images of the East Wing demolition. Well, that makes sense because, if none of it’s on camera, they can just claim the East Wing hanged itself in prison.
Those comments above – as well as Colbert’s further critiques regarding the donors and more – come months after The Late Show’s cancellation. Throughout that time, President Trump also celebrated the news, though Colbert hasn’t held back from continuing to take POTUS to task on various topics. While the cancellation of Colbert’s show further signifies the changes in the late night landscape, he’s still focused on his goal to “land this plane” next spring.
Seth Meyers Shares His Thoughts On President Trump’s Ballroom
Someone else who’s talked about the ballroom – and the future of late night TV – is Seth Meyers. This past week, Meyers also approached the situation from the perspective of the demolition of the East Wing. Meyers ultimately joked that he believed this construction may indicate that President Trump doesn’t plan to leave the White House in 2028. As he shared in a compilation, which is on YouTube):
You guys, I don’t think he’s planning on leaving in three years. If I had three years left on a lease, I wouldn’t even put up a shelf.
Conversations continue to surround the ballroom plans for the White House, with many questioning whether it’s truly necessary. It remains to be seen how construction will continue to progress and how media personalities might keep weighing in as time goes on.
The Tonight Show and Late Night all air weeknights on NBC, while The Late Show airs on CBS amid the 2025 TV schedule. All three shows can also be watched using a YouTube TV subscription.