Architects and design experts have raised concerns about US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to build a new ballroom in the White House, warning that the proposal contains major design flaws and risks altering one of America’s most historic buildings.The cost of adding the hall is estimated at between $300 million and $400 million. It is scheduled to replace the East Wing of the White House, and has drawn criticism from professionals who say the design is impractical and destructive.Several architectural critics have pointed out features in the plans that they say don’t make sense. They pointed out the “fake windows on the north side,” interior columns that block views into the space, stairs that lead nowhere, and an overly large deck area.
These flaws were mentioned in a detailed report published by The New York Times, which examined mock-ups of the ballroom ahead of a key vote by the National Capital Planning Commission scheduled for April 2. The committee is reviewing major changes to federal property, including the White House grounds.
Experts say that the size of the ballroom will be three times larger than the size of the main residence of the White House, disrupting the historical symmetry of the presidential house.
“The rapid revisions, with construction cranes already circling above the White House grounds, represent an abrupt departure from the way new monuments, museums and even modest renovations in D.C. have been designed and improved for decades,” the Times report said, citing architectural experts.The east wing was demolished in October 2025 to make way for the project, a move that generated its own controversy because it occurred before full planning approval had been obtained.Popular opposition was strong. According to a review of comments submitted to planning agencies, about 98% of more than 32,000 public responses opposed the hall plan, calling it too large and inappropriate for the historic site.Among the dissenting voices, Kate Schwenson, former national president of the American Institute of Architects, said the design was so flawed that students who submitted similar work would have failed academically.Trump supporters on the Planning Commission and the MAGA base have pushed the project forward, and the White House has said the hall will be privately financed using donor money. However, preservation groups have raised legal challenges, arguing that proper review and congressional approval were bypassed.
The White House responds
White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt responded to people calling for “Defective” Trump hall design.
She criticized the New York Times report in a post on X and said: “The New York Times had three random people who “studied fine arts,” “have long written about urban planning,” and were of no construction to write an article criticizing the new White House ballroom.”She added: “President Trump and his chief architect have built world-class buildings all over the world, and they are working to ensure that the People’s Assembly finally gets a beautiful ballroom that has been needed for decades — at no cost to taxpayers.”
