The Best Part of Trump’s Ballroom Might Be the Public Feedback

Can public opinion actually sway our elected officials? Not so, it turns out, with President Trump’s White House ballroom proposal, which finally has the green light after a few hiccups, and in spite of more than a few critics decrying the ornate, neoclassical expansion as an overblown overhaul of one of the country’s most historic public buildings.

The project was announced on July 31, 2025, as a privately funded, $200 million addition to the East Wing, designed by McCrery Architects and slated to begin that fall. By October, demolition was underway, the East Wing reduced to rubble to make room for a new, 90,000-square-foot structure. Within days, the budget jumped up to $300 million, the capacity grew, and the vision for Trump’s "beautiful, beautiful ballroom" ballooned into something far bigger, and to some, less beautiful, than what was originally proposed.

By November 2025, the project began to strain under its own scale. Lead architect Jim McCrery took a step back amid reported clashes with the president over size and scope, replaced soon after by a larger firm led by Shalom Baranes. In January 2026, the ballroom plan had its first hearing in front of the National Capital Planning Commission, where it was revealed to have evolved into a two-story complex with a budget that had increased yet again, this time to $400 million. At this point, the seemingly modest expansion that was announced back in July was looking starkly different from the increasingly ambitious, and contentious, plans taking shape.

Then came serious public outcry. In early February, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and NCPC opened the floor to comments ahead of their review of the final site and building plans. More than 30,000 poured in, the overwhelming majority vehemently opposed. On February 19, only one day after public comments were due, the CFA voted 6 to 0 to fast-track approve the plans. As it turns out, the former lead architect of the ballroom, James McCrery, was on the panel, but recused himself from the vote. The NCPC delayed their vote, citing the volume of criticism. In March, federal judge Richard Leon ordered construction to halt, ruling that the project lacked congressional approval. Maybe the people were finally having their voices heard.

But—surprise—days later, the NCPC folded. They approved the design regardless of the injunction—and the outpouring of desperate pleas from the public just weeks before—in a 9 to 1 vote. The people spoke, but nobody in power listened. Here are the notes your peers wrote in vain, a few from a smaller contingency that approved of the plan (with, ahem, some caveats), and others that just can’t wait to get this ballroom built.

Editor’s note: comments have been published with spelling and grammatical errors intact.

The White House needs a ballroom like a fish needs a bicycle. Rebuild the East Wing, restore the Rose Garden, and dismantle the ridiculous Walk of Presidents (or whatever it’s called). We are the laughing stock of the world. —Maureen Tompkins

It will be beautiful and I cannot wait to see it. How long will it take? I’m sending good energy all the way to the very last lightbulb! —Cheri Wallace

If there is any way you can stop that gaudy ballroom from being built, please do so. The White House looks like the Kremlin inside now. We don’t need any more of that. The best thing would be to stop the project completely, and rebuild the east wing thank you for listening and your concerns. —Donald Wailonis

I am an architect in Denver, Colorado. I am opposed to the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. I am also opposed to the proposed ballroom addition. It is completely out of scale with the White House, and its design and detailing do not represent our values. —Mary Louise Skinner

I fully support the President’s plan to build the ballroom for hosting state dinners. It’s important for presenting our country in a more dignified manner. —Charles Powers

The White House needs a formal ballroom, and I agree that the design should be classical and in full harmony with the existing building. That means that the ballroom should be smaller than the revised plan and that the exterior order should be Ionic, not Corinthian, so that it matches the existing White House porticos. It should also not be higher than they existing building. The interior should also reflect the Federal style of the existing building, not Imperial Rome or Napoleon at the Chateau of Compiegne in France. The current design is both too grand, corporate and oddly un-American in style. I suggest using the reception room at Mt. Vernon as a model. —Mitchell Cantor

…This gaudy monstrosity will overpower the White House and attached structures. Its mass and scale will dwarf the historic Executive Residence. The proposed interiors with lavish old chandeliers and tacky décor is more fitting for a medieval European king. ...Trumps taste for architecture is no better than that of a septic system cleaner. His buildings are "desecrated" by gaudy, glitzy, faux-gold decorations that provide no value to the spaces or overall aesthetic quality. Please DO NOT approve this monstrosity!! —Richard S. Lawrence, AIA Emeritus

The planning of the addition is not functional. Spaces are oversized, the connections between exterior and interiors spaces are minimal or nonexistent. Grand porticos and monumental stairs serve no useful purpose. They appear to be tacked on to the structure for decoration. ...the White House is the Peoples’ House. The President just happens to live there. Grandiose plans, such as this one, do not represent the people of the United States. — Thomas McClellan Haskell, AIA

I think it’s great the President has expanded the meeting room options and did so with private funding at no cost to the tax payers. I believe the project will be completed on time, under budget and with great taste and contribute to the surrounding historical buildings for year to come. —JJ Harris

I am not a democrat. I am horrified at the destruction, and the audacity to push a project at this scale through without adequate environmental and historical review. There is no developer in the world who could do what this project has done, for the single most critical building in our nation. This is horrific. It makes a mockery of our system, our review process, and our nation. There is no "urgency" here. Stop. Slow down. Reevaluate. The design is atrocious and gargantuan. I WANT a venue. I do NOT want any individual to have this much power in our country to bend rules and subjugate systems. —Wendy Rea

fully support President Trump’s Big Beautiful Ballroom —Michael Kertok

Fuck. The. Ballroom. —Mike Hyland

I am a red-blooded American who is so white that I’m pale blue, and I am old enough to remember when the most famous Yo Mama joke had its heyday: Yo Mama’s so fat that when she sits around the house, she sits AROUND the house. This new East Wing design is so morbidly obese that in the history books it will be known as The Pavilion of Pork at The Cankle Cathedral. — Sarah Edelman

This prospective plan for the East Wing Ballroom is much more suited to a second rate Las Vegas hotel than to the White House. It is vastly out of scale with the existing White House. It’s tacky. It’s trashy. It is the product of an imagination that has no knowledge of classical proportions. It’s disrespectful to the history of our capitol. The White House is part of our history, not meant for the aggrandizement of one person. —Karin McGaughey

...Many private homes are now larger than the executive mansion. My City Hall has a larger meeting room than anything in the ‘Mansion.’ Our County has a larger meeting room. When our hospital district meets, the use the ballroom of a local hotel. Yet, a formal event at the White House has to be held in a circus tent, with porta-potties; it is a national embarrasment. Likewise, President Truman’s bomb shelter under the old East Wing is probably inadequate for modern threats. It has been 75 ears since the last major rebuilding of the Executive Mansion. Let’s do this now. —John Walsh

I don’t agree with the current president and administration on much. ...Nevertheless, I support President Trump’s efforts to update the White House. The Palm Room looks much better. The Lincoln bathroom does, too. The Rose Garden was lovely before but I like the current changes and the patio looks welcoming and inviting. I don’t like all the gold and the pictures he has added to the Oval Office but... I’m in approval. I do think the funding of the project needs to be channeled through some type of blind account so that, for example, Musk or Bezos, cannot claim title to any part of what is the American people’s house. —Tammi Cvetnic

I would just like the East Wing modernization project to be modern and classy at the same time. No gaudy, gold filigree stuff. Just something that will stand the test of time and not be trendy or outdated in 1 year. —Patricia Mihalic

Top photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images

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