Feedback from the public may be the best part of President Trump’s social gatherings.

Can public opinion actually influence elected officials? President Trump’s proposal for the White House Ballroom was finally given the go-ahead after several troubles. And while many critics have decried the ornate, neoclassical expansion as a far-fetched overhaul of one of the nation’s oldest public buildings, it turns out that’s not the case.

The project was announced on July 31, 2025 as a privately funded $200 million addition to the East Tower, designed by McCreary Architects, and scheduled to begin that fall. By October, demolition had begun, reducing the east wing to rubble to make room for a new 90,000-square-foot building. Within days, the budget soared to $300 million, capacity expanded, and President Trump’s vision of a “beautiful ball” ballooned into something much larger, and in some cases less beautiful, than originally proposed.

By November 2025, the project began to warp on its own scale. After reportedly clashing with the president over size and scope, lead architect Jim McCreary stepped back and was quickly replaced by a larger firm led by Shalom Baranes. In January 2026, the Ballroom project had its first public hearing before the National Capital Planning Commission, where it was revealed that the budget had been increased again, this time to $400 million, and that it would be developed into a two-story complex. At this point, the seemingly modest expansion plans announced in July looked quite different from the increasingly ambitious and controversial plans that were taking shape.

A serious public outcry ensued. In early February, the National Commission on Fine Arts and the NCPC opened the floor to the public for comment ahead of final site and architectural plan consideration. More than 30,000 people rushed in, but the overwhelming majority were vehemently opposed. On February 19, just one day after the public comment deadline, the CFA voted 6-0 to quickly approve the plan. As it turned out, the ballroom’s former chief architect, James McCreary, was on the committee but recused himself from voting. The NCPC postponed the vote due to the amount of criticism. Federal Judge Richard Leon ruled in March that the project lacked congressional approval and ordered construction to halt. The voice of the people may finally be starting to be heard.

But surprisingly, a few days later, the NCPC was disbanded. They approved the design by a 9-1 vote, despite an injunction and despite desperate pleas pouring in from the public weeks earlier. The people spoke, but no one in power listened. This is a memo your colleague wrote in vain. Here are some from smaller emergencies that have approved plans ( Ermsome notes), and some people can’t wait for this ballroom to be built.

Editor’s note: Comments are published with all spelling and grammatical errors intact.

The White House needs a banquet hall like a fish needs a bicycle. Rebuild the East Wing, restore the Rose Garden, tear down the ridiculous Presidential Walkway (or whatever it’s called). We are the laughing stock of the world. —Maureen Tompkins

It will be so beautiful and I can’t wait to see it. How long does it take? We will deliver energy until the last light bulb! — Cheri Wallace

If there is a way to stop the construction of that fancy banquet hall, please do it. The interior of the White House now resembles the Kremlin. No more is needed. The best option is to cancel the project completely and rebuild the east wing. Thank you for your feedback and concern. —Donald Wylonis

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

I fully support the President’s plan to build a banquet hall to host state dinners. It is important to make our country look more dignified. —Charles Powers

I agree that the White House needs a formal banquet hall, and that its design should be classic and blend perfectly with the existing building. That means the ballroom must be smaller than the revised plans and the exterior order must be Ionic rather than Corinthian, to match the existing White House portico. Also, it must not be taller than the existing building. The interior should also reflect the Federal style of the existing building, rather than the Napoleonic style of Imperial Rome or France’s Compiègne Castle. The current design is too grandiose and corporate, with a strangely un-American style. I propose to use the drawing room at Mount Vernon as a model. —Mitchell Cantor

…This flamboyant monster will overwhelm the White House and its attached buildings. Its mass and scale dwarfs historic executive residences. The proposed interior with luxurious old chandeliers and cheap decorations is more suitable for a medieval European king. …Trump’s taste in architecture is no different from that of a septic tank cleaner. His buildings are “desecrated” with gaudy, gaudy, fake gold decorations that add no value to the space or overall aesthetic quality. Do not approve of this monster!! —Richard S. Lawrence, AIA Professor Emeritus

Additional plans are not working. The space is too large and the connection between external and internal space is minimal or non-existent. Large porticos and monumental staircases serve no purpose. It looks like it is pasted on the structure for decoration. …The White House is the people’s home. The president just happens to live there. These grand plans are not representative of the American people. —Thomas McClellan Haskell, AIA

I think it’s great that the president expanded room options and did it with private funds at no cost to taxpayers. This project was completed on time, within budget, and with great taste, and we believe it will continue to contribute to the surrounding historic buildings. —JJ Harris

I’m not a democrat. I am horrified by this destruction and the audacity of pushing ahead with a project of this scale without due consideration of the environment and history. No other developer in the world could do what this project did for one of the country’s most important buildings. This is scary. It makes a mockery of our system, our vetting process, and our nation. There is no “urgency” here. Stop. Slow down. Please re-evaluate. The design is brutal and huge. I want a venue. I don’t want individuals to have so much power in this country that they can bend the rules or bring the system to its knees. —Wendy Rea

I fully support President Trump’s big, beautiful ballroom — Michael Kertok

Fuck. . Ballroom. —Mike Hyland

I’m a white-blooded American who’s old enough to remember the heyday of the most famous Yo Mama joke. Yo Mama is so fat that she sits around the house when she sits around the house. The design of this new East Wing is so morbidly obese that it will probably be known in the history books as the Pork Pavilion of Cancle Cathedral. —Sarah Edelman

This future plan for the East Wing ballroom is far more suited to a second-class Las Vegas hotel than the White House. The scale is significantly different from the existing White House. It’s sticky. It’s trivial. It is a figment of imagination without knowledge of classical proportions. It’s disrespectful to the history of our Capitol. The White House is a part of our history, not a place for one person to expand their power. —Karyn McGaughey

…Many private residences are now larger than executive residences. My city hall has a conference room that is bigger than any of the conference rooms in my “apartment”. Our county has a much larger meeting room. When our hospital district meets, we use the ballroom of a local hotel. But formal White House events must be held inside a circus tent equipped with a porta-potty. It is a national shame. Similarly, President Truman’s air raid shelter under the old East Tower is probably insufficient for modern threats. It has been 75 years since the Executive Residence was last extensively rebuilt. Now let’s try this. —John Walsh

I don’t agree with much about the current president and administration. …Still, I support President Trump’s efforts to bring the White House up to date. Palm room looks much better. The same goes for Lincoln’s bathroom. The rose garden was nice before, but I like the current changes. The patio looks cozy and cozy. I don’t like the money or the pictures he added to the Oval Office, but I agree. I think the funding for the project needs to be routed through some kind of blind account so that, for example, Musk or Bezos cannot claim ownership over any part of American people’s homes. —Tammy Kvetnic

We want the East Wing modernization project to be modern and classy at the same time. There’s no fancy goldwork. Only those that stand the test of time and won’t go out of fashion or out of style after a year. —Patricia Mihalich

Top photo: Andrew Leyden/Getty Images

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