CNN’s Abby Phillip Bombards Trump With Video Receipts on $1 Billion Ballroom: ‘What in the Bait-and-Switch?’

CNN anchor Abby Phillip hit President Donald Trump with a barrage of clips calling out the $1 billion taxpayer-funded pricetag for the ballroom that Trump promised would cost Americans nothing.

One subplot of the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) has been a MAGA groundswell demanding completion of Trump’s multi-hundred-million-dollar ballroom. Originally proposed as a donor-funded project, Republicans have been pushing to appropriate $400 million in taxpayer funds for the ballroom.

But it didn’t stop there — a new Republican proposal would give another $1 billion in funding for security upgrades to the ballroom as part of a package they intend to ram through with a simple majority.

On Tuesday’s edition of CNN NewsNight, Phillip dropped a blizzard of clips showing Trump promising the project would use only private funds.

The host drew laughter when she asked panelist Brad Todd about the montage, saying “What in the bait and switch is this?”:

PHILLIP: It looks like American taxpayers could be footing the bill for President Trump’s ballroom. After all, Senate Republicans are now looking to give the Secret Service $1 billion. Yes, that’s billion, with a B, dollars for security upgrades for this project, the cash tucked inside of a broader immigration reconciliation package. And the GOP is arguing that the public should bankroll some of the costs after last month’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. But that’s not what Trump has been saying since he started his prized renovation project.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have no taxes. This is taxpayer-free. We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents.

We did this no charge to the taxpayer whatsoever.

I’m paying for it. I’m paying for it. The country is not.

We’re donating a 400-million-dollar ballroom.

Myself and donors are giving them free of charge for nothing.

It’s being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine, donors.

Rich people and people are putting up the money. Zero taxpayer dollars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: Brad, what in the bait-and-switch is this?

Watch above via CNN NewsNight.

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