Trump’s ballroom gets the green light from loyalist-stacked commission

By Betsy Klein, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump’s sprawling ballroom project officially got the green light on Thursday from a board that oversees planning for federal buildings and land, marking the latest step in an accelerated process that now faces some legal uncertainty.

Despite more than 32,000 public comments overwhelmingly opposed to the project, the National Capital Planning Commission was stacked with Trump loyalists who voted in favor of the measure.

Thursday’s vote clears a hurdle, but the ballroom’s future is unclear after a federal judge threw a wrench into Trump’s plans when he ruled earlier this week that construction must stop until it’s approved by Congress.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” said Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, in his ruling Tuesday.

He added: “Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!” The Trump administration has already appealed Leon’s ruling.

The judge delayed implementation of his ruling for two weeks, telling the White House that any above-ground construction during that time may have to be reversed if a higher court doesn’t quickly overturn his decision.

It’s still unclear if the legal wrangling will stall the construction or if Trump’s lawyers will convince a different federal court to let that work proceed for now, keeping the project in a holding pattern for the moment.

Meanwhile, experts have raised concerns about the scale and scope of the addition to the White House grounds, along with the introduction of Corinthian columns, and the asymmetric changes it will impose on the existing once-circular driveway. But the ballroom has been on the fast track since the East Wing was demolished last October to make way for the massive new structure, which is expected to cost between $300 and 400 million.

Trump has maintained that the ballroom, which is being privately funded, isn’t subject to any oversight and that he should be able to continue with the changes without any serious scrutiny.

NCPC chairman Will Scharf, a top Trump aide, heralded the project, saying in his remarks ahead of the vote that he believes that, in time, “this ballroom will be considered every bit as much of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House.”

Scharf also sought to push back on criticism of the project. Space to accommodate 1,000 people, he said, is “not an unreasonable number programmatically,” adding it could be needed for entertainment, speeches and displays. As for the height of the structure, he said that the project “befits a high ceiling.” And regarding criticism of the president, he noted that Trump “will get very limited use of this structure before the end of his term.”

Other Trump-aligned commissioners praised the president’s role in the project. But DC Council chairman Phil Mendelson, who serves on the commission in an ex-officio capacity, offered the most substantive negative feedback as he lamented what he described as a “rushed process.”

“I think there’s a lot of value to the iterative process and we’ve not had that,” Mendelson said.

He continued: “It is possible to build a 1,000-person ballroom that, unlike the plan currently under review, truly honors the iconic status, the primacy and historic significance of the People’s House.”

He also said he “didn’t get a persuasive answer” from the architect on why the building needs to be so tall.

“I’m trying to be nice here: It’s just too large,” Mendelson said.

Commissioner Linda Argo echoed Mendelson’s comments, expressing concerns about “a rush to approve something this significant.”

Mendelson voted no, Argo voted “present,” and commissioner Arrington Dixon also voted “present.” All of the other commissioners approved the project, and it passed.

The remarkable speed with which the multimillion-dollar project has progressed has underscored an emboldened Trump’s personal interest in unveiling a finished ballroom before the end of his second term, part of a broader effort to remake the White House and Washington to suit his style and taste. He has promised it will be complete in the summer of 2028, months before he leaves office.

The president, a former real estate developer, has been deeply involved in this project, from floor plans to marble selection, underscoring that it has been a key priority.

“I’m so busy that I don’t have time to do this,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday as he presented mockups of the new structure.
He added: “I’m fighting wars and other things, but this is very important, because this is going to be with us for a long time.”

The project has already received signoff from another key body, the Commission of Fine Arts, which is also composed of Trump allies.

At the last NCPC meeting, the commission heard dozens of experts – architects, historians, preservationists and former White House staffers; representatives from key groups like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the DC Preservation League, and the American Institute of Architects; and concerned citizens who voiced opposition to the project. Just one person, the owner of a local historic event venue, spoke in support of it.

Public Citizen, a government watchdog organization, is already questioning the validity of the NCPC vote. The group alleges in a report that Trump’s installation of a trio of top allies to the commission – staff secretary Will Scharf as chair, Office of Management and Budget associate director Stuart Levenbach as vice-chair, and deputy chief of staff James Blair as a commissioner, violates the law. The three White House staffers, the report says, “fail to have any of the ‘experience in city or regional planning’ the law requires appointees to have.”

“I was appointed because I did have the qualifications necessary to serve on the commission,” Scharf said at the March meeting, pointing to experience as policy director to the governor of Missouri and calling the claims “insulting.”

Neither Blair nor Levenbach responded to Public Citizen’s assertions.

This story was updated with additional information.

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