Christian Author Sparks Outrage with Bizarre Trump 'Ballroom' Joke

Conservative author and radio host Eric Metaxas stirred the pot at a prayer event in Washington, D.C., showering President Donald Trump with some eyebrow-raising praise. “They burned parts of the city, including the White House, which at that time ― if you can believe it ― did not yet have a ballroom,” he quipped, referencing the War of 1812.

The crowd chuckled at the ballroom jab, a nod to Trump’s fixation on the yet-to-be-built space. Earlier this year, he even paused a meeting with oil executives just to gaze out the window at the future site of this coveted ballroom.

But Metaxas wasn’t done. He cranked up the flattery to eleven. “Yes, it’s hard to believe that it would take two centuries for the Lord to raise up a great man to bring that ballroom finally to stand where it needs to stand,” he declared. “It’s extraordinary. We only had to wait 200 years.”

Cheers and applause erupted from the audience, but the laughter didn’t last long. Metaxas later took to X, claiming he was just making an “insane joke” and employing “sarcastic humor” during his speech at “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving.”

However, social media users weren’t laughing. Critics slammed his comments as tone-deaf and inappropriate, igniting a firestorm of backlash that left many questioning his judgment.

As the online outrage grew, it became clear that Metaxas’ attempt at humor had backfired spectacularly, leaving him in a precarious position among both supporters and detractors alike.