Trump wants new ballroom bigger than the White House; clashes with architect

The 90,000-Square-Foot Addition Isn’t Big Enough

President Donald Trump hired architect James McCrery II in July 2025 to design a massive new White House ballroom.

Now the two men are fighting about its size.

The problem is that Trump wants to make the 90,000-square-foot structure even larger, and McCrery keeps telling him that an addition should never overshadow the building it’s attached to.

The White House is 55,000 square feet. The ballroom is already bigger. And the flaws showing up in the design suggest this project was rushed from the start.

McCrery Says It Violates Architecture’s Cardinal Rule

McCrery has warned the president that a building this massive would dwarf the White House, violating a basic principle of architecture: an accompanying structure should never overshadow the main one.

Trump is not convinced.

The architect was handpicked by Trump and stood beside him in August when the president took an impromptu walk on the roof of the White House Briefing Room.

But the project is reportedly in a rough spot, with Trump taking a more hands-on approach than first thought, causing a rift between the two men.

Trump Tore Down the East Wing in October

The White House started tearing down part of the East Wing on October 20 to build the ballroom, despite lacking approval from the federal agency that oversees such projects.

This came after Trump promised in July that the ballroom would not interfere with the existing building.

He said at the time it would be “near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building.” Trump later explained that “to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.”

The Design Model Has Embarrassing Flaws

A miniature mock-up of the ballroom unveiled to the press featured bizarre architectural features, including a staircase leading up from the South Lawn directly into a brick wall and at least two misaligned windows that appear to open out onto one another.

The New York Times found that the number of arched windows differs between the plans Trump showed reporters and the White House mockup.

The administration has given different estimates of how many people the ballroom can hold, varying between 650, 999, and 1,350 guests.

Staff Also Killed His Oval Office Chandelier

White House staff were forced to step in to stop Trump from hanging a potentially damaging chandelier in the Oval Office.

The problem wasn’t aesthetic. It was physics. The ceiling couldn’t hold it.

Trump told Republican strategist Scott Jennings directly that he wanted a massive chandelier to hang above the famous room, saying “I’m thinking of putting a chandelier in here… Right through the shield there on the ceiling.”

The idea died after staff investigated.

The Project Bypassed Federal Review

The ballroom is the biggest structural change to the Executive Mansion since the addition of the Truman Balcony in 1948.

Ever since the National Capital Planning Commission was tasked with reviewing federal development projects in Washington DC in 1952, presidents have voluntarily submitted their plans before beginning construction.

But the Trump administration has not submitted its plans for the ballroom. White House officials insist they will file plans at “the appropriate time.”

The Cost Has Jumped to $300 Million

Trump said during a meeting in late October that the project will cost around $300 million, up from previous estimates of $200 to $250 million.

The White House says the ballroom is funded entirely by Trump and private donors. By the end of October, $350 million had been raised.

A consumer watchdog group reported that a majority of the donors have recently faced federal enforcement actions.

Preservationists Want Construction Stopped

The National Trust for Historic Preservation called on the administration to pause demolition until the ballroom plans go through “the legally required public review processes.”

The Trust warned that the size and scope of the project will overwhelm the White House itself and “may permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House with its two smaller, and lower, East and West Wings.”

Fellow Architects Threaten Ethics Complaints

A letter dated November 21 was sent by 13 members of the American Institute of Architects to McCrery, stating concerns about his involvement with the destruction of the East Wing and the design of the new ballroom.

The letter was sent to McCrery “as a courtesy” before submitting any ethics complaints to the national AIA.

If proven to have violated the AIA’s Code of Ethics, McCrery could face admonition, censure, suspension, or termination of his membership.

The White House Calls It Constructive Dialogue

A White House official acknowledged that Trump and McCrery have butted heads but insisted nothing is amiss, describing the back-and-forth as “constructive dialogue.”

“As with any building, there is a conversation between the principal and the architect,” the official said. “All parties are excited to execute on the president’s vision on what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office.”

Trump Micromanages Every Detail

Administration officials privately acknowledge Trump has personally micromanaged the project, hosting frequent design meetings.

He keeps a model of the ballroom on display in the Oval Office. The administration has refused to release basic details, including the building’s planned height.

Reports indicate that first lady Melania Trump privately raised concerns over the demolition of the East Wing, though Trump dismissed those reports.

Trump & McCrery Work Together Despite Disagreements

Despite the differences in opinion, McCrery will continue to be a consultant on the ballroom project, a White House official confirmed.

The architect has kept his criticism largely private as Trump has requested quick changes to his plans. Architect Peter Eisenman, a prominent figure in the field, called McCrery’s ballroom design “bonkers.”

The project is expected to be finished before Trump’s term ends in January 2029, though experts have called that timeline optimistic.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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