Trump's White House ballroom gets design approval
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The White House ballroom project's timeline remains unclear. Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
President Trump's ballroom project won design approval on Thursday, even though an ongoing legal case has halted construction on the site.
Why it matters: The National Capital Planning Commission's sign-off won't restart construction, but it clears a final procedural hurdle for Trump's fast-tracked, $400 million plans for transforming the White House.
State of play: The commission, stacked with Trump loyalists, approved the project after a barrage of criticisms — including 9,000 pages of public comments that delayed the vote by a month.
- Commissioners applauded architect Shalom Baranes, defending the design from critiques that it would overwhelm the existing White House. Last-minute design tweaks dialed down outdoor staircases, "reducing the footprint of the ballroom," NCPC chair Will Scharf said at the meeting.
- Scharf, a top White House official, said that he believes the ballroom in time will be "every bit as much of a national treasure" as the rest of the White House.
Friction point: Phil Mendelson, a member of the commission through his position as D.C. Council chair, was the only no vote. He blasted the ballroom's height, which would rise roughly as tall as the White House.
- "It's just too large," Mendelson said, slamming a "rushed process" — and argued a better 1,000-person ballroom could've been designed.
Catch up fast: On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said that Trump is not the "owner" of the White House, and that construction "must stop until Congress authorizes its completion."
- The ruling came after the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit late last year, arguing the construction was out of bounds because Trump had not gotten NCPC approval.
Between the lines: Trump added a dose of intrigue to the project when he revealed earlier this week the military is building a bunker under the future ballroom — "a massive complex," he said.
- "The subterranean programmatic needs are serious and unmovable," said Scharf, and related to "national security" — adding that Franklin D. Roosevelt once built an emergency bunker under the East Wing.
What we're watching: With the NCPC green light, the Trump administration might have a stronger case in court as it seeks to overturn the work stoppage.
- Judge Leon predicted the case might go to the Supreme Court.