On Wednesday, vintage President Trump made an appearance when he cooked Reuters’ Jeff Mason regarding the East Room construction, which has liberal America foaming at the mouth. Mason asked what the president would say to those who feel this project has not been transparent (via Yahoo):
.@POTUS nukes "THIRD-RATE" loser @jeffmason1 for claiming he hasn't been transparent about the ballroom — the plans for which have been published on the White House website for months, sent out in a press release, shown during a press briefing, published in newspapers. pic.twitter.com/KYihqdb3HV
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 22, 2025
President Donald Trump slammed Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason as a “third-rate reporter” on Wednesday, after Mason asked the president to respond to critics who have said “you haven’t been transparent enough about” the demolition of the East Wing in order to make room for a new ballroom.
Trump ripped Mason in front of other reporters and on live TV while taking questions at the White House.
“I haven’t been transparent? Really?” Trump said incredulously.
He continued: “I’ve shown this to everybody that would listen. Third-rate reporters didn’t see it because they didn’t look. You’re a third-rate reporter, always have been.”
“I’m just asking—” Mason could be heard faintly saying in the background.
“So third-rate reporters didn’t look, but anybody that asked, these pictures have been in newspapers, they’ve been all over the place, and you know, we’re very proud of it,” Trump continued. “It’s gotten great reviews. It’s gotten really great reviews.”
Mason included the transparency aspect in his piece. The project is being funded by Trump personally and a slate of private donors, and that’s the point: liberal America wants to know who they are so that they can target them.
Flashback to Third-Rate Loser @jeffmason1 in September 2020, when he refused to take off his mask during an OUTDOORS press conference despite being at least 50 feet away from the President.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 23, 2025
🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/IYtr4vL16a pic.twitter.com/yeW7ZYtprm
The White House has not been able to say what entity, if any, had or should have had oversight of the tearing down of the East Wing. Scharf said the NCPC had responsibility for construction but not demolition.
Bryan Green, who served as an NCPC commissioner under Democratic President Joe Biden, told Reuters on Tuesday that demolition work and new construction should be linked as part of a building project review.
Trump on Wednesday said the project would cost $300 million, an increase from its initial $200 million price tag announced in July. He says he and private donors are paying for the ballroom, but he has not released full financing details.
The president dismissed concerns that his administration had not been transparent about the project.
"These pictures have been in newspapers," Trump said, referencing photos he had in the Oval Office of how the ballroom is to look like when finished. A model of the project was situated on a table in front of him.
This isn’t the first time Trump and Mason have duked it out. The Trump team posted another memorable exchange in 2020, when Mason refused to take his mask off during the COVID pandemic while being asked a question from at least 50 feet away. And yes, it was about The Atlantic’s fake news ‘suckers and losers’ hoax. In late November 2024, Mason, speaking with the National Press Foundation about the 2024 election, cast doubt on support for mass deportations.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member