TMZ reported on Monday that the president was "vacillating" on a commutation for the music mogul, citing a "high-ranking White House official."

As construction begins on President Donald Trump's new, $250m (£149m) White House ballroom, mystery continues to swirl around the identities of the wealthy donors and corporations paying for it.

The Treasury Department has instructed employees not to take or share photos of the demolition on the East Wing of the White House, which is part of President Trump’s long-desired plan to build a new ballroom.

The White House has moved ahead with the massive construction project despite not yet having sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area.

The Trump administration has been defending the demolition work which has begun on part of the White House, to allow the construction of a new $250m (£149m) ballroom. It said "for over 100 years, presidents have enhanced the White House".

President Donald Trump begins construction on a privately-funded $200 million White House ballroom as Democrats including Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren condemn the project.

The Trump administration is closing in on a deal with the University of Virginia, four months after government pressure forced the school’s previous president to resign.

"Shame on you," read one of dozens of reviews for the company demolishing the East Wing facade to build Trump's new ballroom.

Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.