Former Trump Lawyer Calls White House a ‘Whorehouse’ on CNN’s ‘Erin Burnett OutFront’

Ty Cobb, a former lawyer under President Donald Trump, called the White House a “whorehouse” on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront.

On the Monday, August 31 episode of OutFront, the CNN host chatted with Cobb, who served as a White House lawyer during Trump’s first term in office. Burnett asked him to weigh in on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision for the ballroom construction to resume. And he didn’t hold back with his blunt opinion.

“You know what’s interesting, Ty. It’s almost as if in part of what he wrote, right — in joining the minority and saying it was likely unlawful — that he felt it was something historical about what he was writing,” Erin Burnett said of Chief Justice John Roberts‘ dissent (he sided with the liberal justices) in the 5-4 decision. “Right? That it mattered for that reason.”

She then read a quote from Roberts’ dissent: “The White House is an iconic American building whose symbolism and history are wrapped up in its architecture.”

The Supreme Court on Monday continued to allow construction of the new White House ballroom, clearing the way for the massive new structure that President Trump has championed.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court halted lower court rulings that would have temporarily blocked… pic.twitter.com/ffcXpf8Ocw

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 1, 2026

When asked for his thoughts, Cobb said, per a clip published by Mediaite, “It certainly touched me because as somebody who has spent a lot of time in the White House and/or about the grounds, it was a beautiful setting and a historic setting.

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He then declared, “And it’s turning into some combination of, you know, a whorehouse and Las Vegas at this stage in the game, with all the gold and paving of it. So it’s tragic what’s going on, but sadly it’s going to continue. At least for the time being.”

In October 2025, demolition began on the White House’s East Wing to make room for the construction of Trump’s ballroom. Judge Richard J. Leon halted construction in a district court ruling in March 2026, and then allowed limited work to continue during appeals. In early August, a Washington, D.C. appeals panel voted to block the project, ruling that Trump needed congressional approval to build the $400 million ballroom.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision lifted that ruling,  ballroom construction can resume immediately.