'Couch money': Fetterman and Bill Maher defend cost of Trump ballroom

HBO host Bill Maher and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) think that the proposal to use $1 billion of taxpayer dollars for a White House ballroom is the kind of easy money found between America's couch cushions.

Speaking on the Club Random podcast Monday, Fetterman and Maher blasted the debate over the centuries-old historic building as "so stupid," The Independent noticed.

Legal battles have persisted over the construction since President Donald Trump pledged that the White House wouldn't be "touched" in the building process and then claimed the construction would only cost $200 million and would be paid for by businesses and billionaires, not on the taxpayer dime.

Fetterman even went so far as to claim that reactions are the result of "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

“If he came out [in favor] for ice cream and lazy Sundays, we would f—— hate it,” said Fetterman.

According to an April 2026 Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, "Fifty-six percent of Americans oppose Trump’s decision to tear down the White House’s East Wing to make way for his planned ballroom." Only 28 percent support the ballroom. It's the same number previously found in an October poll.

"There is also a notable enthusiasm gap: Nearly three times as many people 'strongly' oppose the project as strongly support it, the poll found," the report said.

Maher claimed, “The money is like one angstrom unit of a percentage point of what our budget is. So it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“It’s couch money," he added.

At one point in the conversation, Maher heralded Trump for his "honesty."

The comment prompted ex-Republican Rep. Joe Walsh (Fla.) to comment, "'Donald Trump' and 'honesty' do not inhabit the same universe. They never have. [Bill Maher] seems to have sold out many of his principles in obeisance to Trump. Maybe he cut a deal with Trump at that cozy private dinner they had awhile back."

Self-described liberal Democrat Darren Jorden replied, "Let's be honest here: I think Maher is so high that 99.9 percent of the time, he is completely unaware of what he says and does."

Constitutional Republican Douglas Lindsey replied to that comment, "I agree. On Bill's Friday HBO Show he was agreeing with Dona Brazile on RACE Based Congressional Districts for Blacks while saying many times on his own show 'America is not a racist country anymore.'"

A self-described Christian minister said on X about the conversation, "Maher can't admit he supports a lot of what Trump is doing, not just the ballroom. Israel and the fight against terrorism are just two things he agrees with the president on. There are more."

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