President Donald Trump defended plans for a major White House ballroom addition. He said the new building will match the existing executive mansion in height and scale. This comes as preservation groups and federal review bodies question whether the project will overwhelm the historic complex.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the planned building is totally in keeping with our historic White House. He predicted it would be the greatest of its kind ever built. He also shared an architect’s rendering that shows a large neoclassical facade with Ionic columns and a prominent pediment. Trump asserted that the top of the new structure aligns with the North Portico of the main residence.
The White House describes the project as a roughly 90,000-square-foot addition. It aims to provide a larger venue for formal events and visiting dignitaries. This change would be among the most significant physical alterations to the complex in decades. Federal planning and design commissions are reviewing the proposal on an accelerated schedule. Some members are requesting more details, including three-dimensional models and clarification on the building’s massing and its relationship to existing wings and colonnades.
Construction has already begun on work below grade to support the planned structure, even as litigation over approvals continues. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has argued in court filings that the administration moved ahead without the required authorizations and environmental review for a project of this size on a nationally significant property.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon is considering whether to pause the preparatory work while the lawsuit proceeds. Reuters reported that Leon previously declined to issue an immediate temporary restraining order. He later held a hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction. The preservation group is pressing for a halt until the legal and regulatory questions are resolved.
The White House has defended the project as a lawful modernization. It stated that it will be funded through private donations rather than congressional appropriations. In a July 2025 statement announcing the ballroom plan, the White House said construction would start in September 2025. It identified Clark Construction as the lead contractor and AECOM as the engineering lead.
Shalom Baranes Associates, a Washington-area architecture firm, is handling the design, according to the White House and reporting on the review process. Documents and public presentations related to the commissions’ review describe the overall addition as approaching 90,000 square feet. The ballroom itself is about 22,000 square feet and sized for large receptions.
Preservationists and some design experts have criticized the pace of the review. They warned that the new building could dominate the East Wing footprint and alter sightlines and the character of the grounds. A separate group of Trump appointees on key panels has also pressed project representatives for more specifics about height, setbacks, and how proposed changes might affect symmetry across the complex.
Trump’s post signaled he intends to proceed despite these objections. He described the project as an overdue venue upgrade and emphasized that the exterior proportions will match the existing mansion. His statement came as the legal challenge remained pending and as commission staff continued to compile public comments, many of which criticized the process and design.
A ruling from Leon on whether to temporarily stop the work could determine how quickly the project moves from underground preparation to visible construction in the coming months. The project has been controversial since the demolition of the East Wing, and to make matters worse, the president will likely no longer be in office by the time it’s finished.
