‘Don’t Look at My Waist’: Trump’s Ballroom Showcase Unravels as Chaos Breaks Out Around Him — Cameras Catch Him Desperately Trying to Hide His Stomach
Donald Trump loves the sound of construction at the White House, but praise is what he really wants to hear.
Work on the president’s $400 million ballroom is well underway, but only on the underground section.
Trump eagerly showed off the bunker framework during an orchestrated tour of the construction on May 19. He displayed the rooms he claims will be used as a military hospital, research facilities, military meeting rooms, and more.
“The ballroom is really a shield and protecting all of the things that are built here,” he told reporters who gathered at the hole in the ground.
The East Wing, which once housed Melania Trump’s office, previously stood on the site her husband demolished in October 2025.
But, as most have come to know, Trump, 79, would be remiss if he did not weave self-flattery into pre-planned remarks. This time was no different as he encouraged the press to indulge in his delusions.
The tour unraveled after a woman standing nearby, holding a rendering of the completed ballroom, caught Trump’s eye.
Trump begs reporters for compliments about his weight:
“See, I look so thin. They’ll say, oh, he’s gotten so thin, because I’m holding this. You don’t have to look at my waist, you can look at this.” pic.twitter.com/QNrO2AEnkR
— FactPost (@factpostnews) May 19, 2026
He said showcasing the poster was “like an exercise” and ordered her to hand it over. “I’ll hold it. It’s so beautiful. See, I look so thin,” said Trump during the bizarre mid-speech pivot.
He blocked the area between his chest and waist. But it was the perfect setup for an illusion that only Trump could fathom.
“They’ll say, ‘Oh, he’s gotten so thin,’ cause I’m holding this. You don’t have to look at my waist,” Trump exclaimed while grabbing a poster. “Look at this. You saw enough of my waist along with President Xi [Jinping]” continued Trump with a chuckle.
The self-deprecation got a laugh out of those standing before him and from countless people online.
At first, an X user remarked, “Who’s he kidding? That man still looks like he says ‘super size it.’” A second tweet reads, “He’s constantly letting us know what his deepest insecurities. He’s as shallow as a kiddie pool, so those insecurities are what rule him.”
During the meeting, Xi Jinping sat on a noticeably taller chair while Trump was given a shorter one with a soft cushion.
Seating arrangements and staging details in high-level diplomacy are rarely accidental. They form part of the visual messaging the host chooses to project. pic.twitter.com/WgqHIO2wX3
— SIlentlySIrs
backup (@SilentlysirsX) May 18, 2026
A third individual joked, “Xi gave Trump body dysmorphia lol.” Trump faced the ultimate humiliating act during a two-day trip to meet with Xi Jinping.
Trump’s team member removed a seat cushion causing him to sit lower than Jinping during one incident.
A similar scene, during a second sit-down, caused people to zoom in on the Chinese president’s larger chair.
Trump clowned for looking foolish in front of his ballroom site during showcase in Washington.
His renderings blew to the ground as he begged for compliments. Someone said, “Oh look at this, while everything is falling apart around us.”
Trump claims “tax-free” money funds the renovation and is his gift that will benefit future presidents. Construction of the above-ground ballroom remains tied up in court following a judge’s ruling that Congress must approve it first.