Despite President Donald Trump saying he's retiring after this term multiple times and that little niggling thing called the United State Constitution, comedian Bill Maher said on his HBO Real Time show on Saturday night that he thinks Donald Trump won't leave the White House in 2028. "Who puts in a giant ballroom if you're leaving?" Maher asked his audience in response to a rant by MSTDS host Michael Steele.
The speculation that Trump won't leave the White House in 2028 is a leftist narrative used to grift donations and cause fear, confusion, and angst in order to get people to a "No Kings" protest. The crazy theory was most recently gassed up by former Trump 45 aide Steve Bannon, who trolled The Economist podcast by saying there was a "plan" to get around the 22nd Amendment.
The troll was picked up by Princeton law professor Robert P. George, who observed that Bannon was mocking the MSM and that thinking people should ignore the stunt.
Surely liberals know that Steve Bannon is trolling them in claiming that there's a "plan" for Donald Trump to serve a third term. If not, I'll let you in on a secret. There is no plan. Donald Trump will neither seek nor serve a third term. You are being trolled--big time.
Townhall colleague Kurt Schlichter told the professor, "Shhhhh. Watching them make hysterical idiots of themselves is too much fun for you to spoil."
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Well, yeah. It is fun to watch.
Shhhhh. Watching them make hysterical idiots of themselves is too much fun for you to spoil. https://t.co/6p4UfbDBZF
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 26, 2025
Is Maher in on the joke?
Michael Steele: “We watched this week the destruction of a symbol of this government, of our democracy, of our pluralistic society.”
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) October 25, 2025
Bill Maher: “You talking about the White House?”
Michael Steele: “Yeah, the East Wing [of the White House].”
Bill Maher: “It’s a building,… pic.twitter.com/YEWMhK6UCp
Here's what Maher told his panelists, Steele and former Biden spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield, after their anti-Trump ballroom TDS fits.
“I can’t get this mad about everything.”
Steele pushed back on what the symbolism of the demolition means. Maher replied, “The symbolism is he’s not leaving. That’s what bothers me about it. Who puts in a giant ballroom if you’re leaving?”
Maher later accused of Trump of being “drunk with power.”
Of course, the building is the symbol, and the need for a ballroom in the White House to accommodate state banquets and large assemblies is a practical solution—one that is being funded by wealthy individuals rather than taxpayers. It also doesn't hurt that the ballroom upgrades include what's beneath the 90-thousand-square-foot room: The White House nuclear bunker. The 1942 bunker appears to be undergoing an upgrade as well, but that's classified. This is likely the reason why neighboring Treasury Department workers have been told not to take any photos of the construction.
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Trump's been talking about the ballroom for years and offered to pay for it during the Obama Administration.
🚨 TRUMP in 2016:
— Le Bark News (@LeBarkNews) October 25, 2025
“I offered, by the way, to build a ballroom at the White House — free of charge to the taxpayers.”
“I told the Obama administration — I told David Axelrod, good guy — I would build a ballroom, free of charge. At least $100 million. Free of charge.”
“We’d make… pic.twitter.com/eGmEbaXq3N
I talked to a member of the White House press corps on Thursday who told me that current outrage over the ballroom upgrade is purely political. She said reporters have been walking around the construction site for at least two months to get to their offices so there has been zero surprise about the project—until now.
Of course, President Trump announced the well-respected architect chosen for the project last July. The architect, Jim McCrery, is well known for big historical projects such as restoration of the U.S. Supreme Court Building and the U.S. Capitol Building renovation. He also oversaw work on the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He's no piker. He is universally respected by historians.
Indeed, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the project in July, stating that it had been designed, contracted for, and was set to begin construction within weeks.
Since starting his second term, Trump has been discussing the project with the architect and construction firms, as well as "White House Staff, the National Park Service, the White House Military Office, and the United States Secret Service to discuss design features and planning," according to the White House statement issued about the project in July, which included the renderings of the approved structure.
Maher initially said the demolition wasn't a big deal because it was "just a building." But former Republican Party leader Steele hit back saying it was a symbol of America. The East Room is a building unattached to the White House that was built because of a desire for a larger venue. Trump's project will increase seating from 200 people to as many as 900 people and will be a harder security target than the large event tents presidents have used in the past.
It's not all about vanity, TDS sufferers.
Maher's question, "Who puts in a giant ballroom if you're leaving?" is a question asked by greedy people who think only of themselves.Trump doesn't live in the hotels, golf courses, ice rinks, and other projects he built. Besides, doesn't Trump get to go home to Mar-a-Lago (which he didn't build)?
Trump is a builder and a problem solver. Always has been.
That said, however, and to keep this troll going, oddsmakers say Trump would win handily in a matchup with Kamala Harris in 2028.
Donald Trump has better Polymarket odds of being elected President in 2028 than Kamala. https://t.co/B4goApeGWM pic.twitter.com/Ighf67p6OI
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) October 12, 2025
Enjoy the troll.
We don't think Trump will refuse to leave the White House if his Big Beautiful Ballroom isn't complete by the time his second term is up. That's crazy talk. Because you're such a smart guy, we're offering 74% off our regular VIP Membership. You'll get your VIP treatment with no ads, exclusive content, and access to PJ Media podcasts and videos. It's worth it.
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