White House State Ballroom

Traditionally, formal events at the White House are held in the East Room of the Executive Residence, which has a seating capacity of 200 people, or in specially constructed tents on the White House grounds for state dinners. President Donald Trump described the tents used for events as "not a pretty sight". During President Barack Obama's first term in office, at least as early as 2010, then-private citizen Trump spoke to senior advisor David Axelrod and expressed a desire to build a ballroom on White House grounds. The White House has undergone a number of renovations and restorations in the roughly 230 years of its existence. The largest of these projects was the White House Reconstruction, which took place from 1949 to 1952, while President Harry S. Truman was in office. In order to save the then 150-year-old building from collapse, the entire interior structure of the Executive Residence was numbered and dismantled. Splitting beams and burned timbers damaged by the British in the War of 1812 were removed. The foundation of the outer walls was stabilized and reinforced. A basement and sub basement were dug, and then all four floors were reconstructed on a new steel frame inside the original sandstone walls. Since then, the White House Curator has overseen much smaller projects and redecorations in the actual Executive Residence. New features like swimming pools, tennis courts and bowling alleys were added by various presidents after Truman's renovation. The demolition of the East Wing was the first major structural change to the White House complex since the Truman Balcony in 1948. == Planning ==

'' reports on July 31, 2025 on October 20, 2025 Architect James McCrery II, founder and principal of McCrery Architects, was hired on July 13, 2025, by Trump. Plans for the ballroom, to be built alongside a "modernized" East Wing, were announced by the White House on July 31, 2025. In July 2025, Trump appointed three loyalists to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) including his former personal lawyer Will Scharf as chair. The Washington Post reported in August that the project had not yet been submitted for review to the NCPC as required by federal law, and that such approvals often took years. The administration claimed that a 1964 executive order allowed the president to bypass the commission, but after a Post reporter pointed out the legal requirement, the White House said the commission "will be a part of that process at the appropriate time". A consortium led by Clark Construction was awarded the US$200M contract in August 2025. In September, with plans for the ballroom still not submitted, commission chair Will Scharf clarified during a public meeting of the NCPC that the approval process is only required for construction, not demolition or site preparation work. Initially expected to seat 650, in September Trump said this had been revised upward to 900, and in October he said it would be able to hold 999 people. In October 2025, Trump fired all six members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts which would have advised on the project, and a White House official told USA Today they would be replaced with new members "more aligned with President Trump's America First Policies." The National Park Service completed an environmental assessment in late August that found "no significant impact" but noted that it would likely create "a visual imbalance" with the rest of the White House. The document was not made available to the public until it was revealed in court documents in December. Following its reveal, health experts interviewed by E&E News reported that the plan did not make any mention of asbestos remediation work during the demolition, and former NPS director Jon Jarvis stated there should have been a more in-depth environmental impact statement that would have required a public review period under the National Environmental Policy Act. In December 2025, the White House announced that Trump had selected Shalom Baranes to pick up the design and that McCrery would move to a consulting role. McCrery had reportedly clashed with Trump over the increasing size of the ballroom and had been unable to meet deadlines because his workforce was too small. Fox News host Jesse Watters said that when asked about his motivations for undertaking the project, Trump explained, "It's a monument. I'm building a monument to myself – because no one else will." The Presidential Emergency Operations Center located beneath the former East Wing was dismantled as part of site preparation. It will be replaced by a new below-grade facility; the cost to taxpayers has not been disclosed. While this part of the project is top secret according to White House director of management and administration Joshua Fisher, Trump confirmed in October 2025 that "The military is very much involved in this." Several months later, Trump told reporters that "the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction" and that "the ballroom essentially becomes a shed for what’s being built under." The National Capital Planning Commission voted and approved the project on April 2, 2026. == Private funding ==

Trump has said that private donors and large corporations will pay for the ballroom. Initially announced at a cost of $200 million, the cost estimate increased to $300 million in October 2025. By the end of October, $350 million had been raised. The estimate increased to $400 million in December 2025. (The additional cost of the subterranean security structure has not been disclosed; it will be paid for with public funds.) On November 1, The New York Times reported that the White House had withheld the names of several donors, among them BlackRock, Nvidia, and Jeff Yass, who have major business concerns that could be impacted by decisions by the Trump Administration. Also in October, Trump announced that the ballroom project would be built with a large donation of steel valued at $37 million without naming the company. In April 2026, a New York Times investigation found that the donor was ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg-based steel company, and that the donated steel would be made in Europe. Two days after Trump announced the donation, the White House had issued a proclamation which would cut in half the tariffs of automotive steel from a Canadian plant that ArcelorMittal uses to make steel for the United States market. Following the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner held at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026, some Republicans argued that taxpayer funds should be allocated for the ballroom construction, claiming that the White House would be a more secure location for events. Corporate donors • Altria Group, Inc. • Amazon.com, Inc. • Apple Inc. • ArcelorMittal • Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. • Caterpillar Inc. • Coinbase, Inc. • Comcast Corporation • Google LLC • Hard Rock International (USA), Inc. • HP Inc. • Lockheed Martin Corporation • Meta Platforms, Inc. • Micron Technology, Inc. • Microsoft Corporation • NextEra Energy, Inc. • Palantir Technologies Inc. • Ripple Labs Inc. • Reynolds American Inc. • T-Mobile US, Inc. • Tether Operations Limited • Union Pacific Railroad Company Individual and family foundation donors • Adelson Family Foundation • Stefan E. Brodie, biotech entrepreneur convicted of violating American sanctions on Cuba in 2002 • Charles and Marissa Cascarilla • J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul • Edward and Shari Glazer, son and daughter-in-law of Malcolm Glazer • Harold Hamm, chairman of the Continental Resources • Betty Wold Johnson Foundation, of Woody Johnson's family, founders of Johnson & Johnson • Benjamin Leon • Donald Trump • Kelly Loeffler and Jeffrey Sprecher • The Lutnick Family • The Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation • Stephen A. Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone Inc. • Konstantin Sokolov, a private equity investor (Tiramani says he donated $10 million of Boxabl stock) • Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, co-founders of Winklevoss Capital Management • David Baszucki, CEO of Roblox == Design ==

BBC News reported that while the new building would be architecturally similar to the rest of the mansion, it would feature a "lavish interior including chandeliers and ornate columns". Trump said the ballroom is planned to be attached to the Executive Residence by what he described as a "glass bridge". On January 8, 2026, the White House announced that the banquet hall would be and there would also be offices for the first lady and a movie theater. The following month, the plans revealed that the original 42-seat configuration of the old movie theater would remain when the renovated one would be built. On February 3, on Truth Social, Trump posted a rendering of what the ballroom would look like. Architects have identified numerous problems with the design plans for the ballroom, including an exterior grand staircase leading up to a side of the building that has no door, columns that would block interior views and daylight, fake windows, and a staircase that would break the symmetry of the White House driveway planned by Frederick Law Olmsted from the 1930s. Following a March 29, 2026 article from The New York Times concerning design flaws, Trump revealed an updated version of the ballroom the next day with some of the issues resolved such as removing the grand staircase that led to nowhere. == Construction ==

{{multiple image Construction began in September 2025. Construction continued during the 2025 United States federal government shutdown that October; a White House Office of Management and Budget memo stated that the construction was being funded by private donors and would not be impacted by federal budget negotiations. Demolition of the East Wing began on October 20. According to a White House official, the "entirety" of the East Wing is planned to eventually be "modernized and rebuilt". The Wall Street Journal reported that employees of the United States Treasury Department were directed not to take pictures or video of the construction work; the department's headquarters are next door to the White House. In a July 2025 announcement, the White House said the project would be finished before Trump's term ends in 2029. Experts interviewed by The New York Times described that proposed timetable as "optimistic". Two magnolia trees are believed to have been removed during the construction of the ballroom in late October 2025. The trees had been planted as commemorative trees for presidents Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1947 and 1942 respectively. The Harding tree had previously been in a different location, planted in 1922 by first lady Florence Harding. In December 2025 the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) sued the Trump administration for failing to observe federal guidelines. On February 26, 2026, US district judge Richard J. Leon decided that construction on the ballroom could continue but said he was willing to consider new arguments the NTHP might present. At a hearing on March 17, Judge Leon acknowledged that, while a president has authority under federal law to make an "alteration" to the White House, to so describe the demolition of the East Wing would require "some brazen interpretation of the laws of vocabulary." On March 31, Judge Leon granted the NTHP's request for a preliminary injunction, temporarily ordering a halt to construction. Lawyers for the National Park Service appealed on April 3. On April 11, 2026, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled 2–1 that construction could resume temporarily, with the preliminary injunction paused until April 17. The panel asked Judge Leon to clarify his ruling in an appeal. On April 16, 2026, Judge Leon issued a ruling which again halted aboveground construction of the ballroom. On April 18, the Court of Appeals stayed Leon's ruling until June 5, 2026, allowing construction to resume until then. 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting Immediately following the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026, Trump cited the security incident as a reason to build the ballroom; he called the Hilton "not a particularly secure building". The following day, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche posted a letter on X which called on the NTHP to drop their lawsuit, citing the shooting. In response, the NTHP stated to the DOJ that they would continue to move forward with their lawsuit. In the wake of the shooting, numerous Republican politicians, as well as Democratic Senator John Fetterman, Lauren Boebert, Randy Fine, Tim Sheehy, Lindsey Graham, Katie Britt, Eric Schmitt, Rand Paul, and Chip Roy. Conversely, several Democratic politicians, including Cory Booker and Sarah McBride, criticized the optics of congressional funding for the ballroom. Several Republicans subsequently announced their intentions to introduce legislation to continue the ballroom's construction; though Republicans were split on the potential use of taxpayer funds to help fund construction. Graham, Britt, and Schmitt announced legislation to provide $400 million in federal funding, while Paul proposed legislation to move construction forward without any additional funding. Trump soon announced his support for Paul's bill. == Responses ==

Republicans, Trump and the Trump administration Trump applauded the construction and highlighted its private funding. House speaker Mike Johnson also highlighted the many construction projects in the history of the White House and stated, "President Trump’s going to have the greatest improvement of the White House in the history of the building." House majority leader Steve Scalise also referenced the many prior renovations and anticipated that the Democratic Party would object to any idea of Trump's. First Lady Melania Trump, though reportedly having expressed concern in private over the demolition of the East Wing, did not release a statement on the construction of the ballroom. Democrats On October 21, shortly after the construction began, former first lady and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton posted about the construction on Twitter, stating, "It's not his house. It's your house. And he's destroying it." Representative Jamie Raskin tweeted a picture of the construction linking it to the War of 1812 when the White House was set on fire by British troops and how Trump was also destroying the White House while fashioning himself as a king. The White House is exempt from the review process of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The building is overseen by non-binding recommendations of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. Ever since the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) was tasked with reviewing federal development projects in Washington, D.C., in 1952, updates to the White House by US presidents have seen voluntary submission of their plans to the NCPC prior to the beginning of construction. The suit aims to force President Trump pause the project until he has submitted the plans to several bodies and Congress for public review and input. The Trump administration replied that the ballroom construction must continue for classified reasons of national security that may be shared with the judge but not with the plaintiffs. In mid-December, the Trump administration told a federal judge that it would submit plans for review by the end of December to two oversight bodies established by Congress, the NCPC and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). On February 19, 2026, the CFA appointed by Trump approved the renovation by a vote of 6–0. Ethical Ethics experts express concern over the private funding of the renovation and possible conflicts of interest and attempts by donors to influence the president; the White House did not answer whether a competitive bidding process was followed. In September it was revealed that Alphabet, the multinational technology conglomerate holding company and the third-largest technology company by revenue, owner of Google, is a donor to the ballroom project. Alphabet donated $22 million towards construction as part of a settlement for a lawsuit Trump filed in 2021 accusing the company of violating his First Amendment rights. Aside from Alphabet, the Associated Press reported on October 21 that the White House had not yet fulfilled their promise to publish a full list of donors funding the ballroom project. It did so on October 22. The Hill described the timing of the renovations as poor, coming in amidst poor jobs reports and concerns over the impact of Trump's tariffs on the greater economy. Public According to a YouGov poll released on October 22, the majority of polled Americans disapproved of the decision to demolish the East Wing as part of the renovation at 53%, with only 24% of respondents indicated that they approved. In the follow up question about the plans to renovate and build additions to the White House including the new ballroom, 50% indicated that they disapproved of the plans with only 33% indicating that they approved. A joint Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos conducted October 24–28 found that 56% of Americans polled opposed the project, while 28% approved and 16% were undecided. When the poll was repeated six months later, those numbers were unchanged. A New York Times analysis found that 98% of the 32,000 public comments on the plan were negative, leading the National Capital Planning Commission to announce on March 5, 2026 that it would delay its vote to April 2. Paul Goldberger, the former architecture critic for The New York Times and The New Yorker and the author of "Why Architecture Matters", called the design an "enormous, banal box". == See also ==