Trump-appointed Fine Arts Commission signals support for White House ballroom plan

At a virtual meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, the Commission of Fine Arts — remade by President Trump with his appointees — indicated it would move forward with Mr. Trump’s plan to build a new ballroom on the site of the East Wing of the White House in Washington. The commission, one of two review panels the president has stacked with allies, reported receiving more than 30 public letters about the project, which members said were mostly critical.

Commissioners raised questions about the ballroom’s size and security but signaled they saw their role as carrying out the president’s agenda and doing so quickly. Architect Shalom Baranes presented preliminary designs that he said reflect Mr. Trump’s involvement, including a portico roof over a south terrace, wider windows, a new stairway and a roughly 1,000-seat ballroom.

The proposal is described as a 90,000-square-foot project with an expected cost that has risen to $400 million from $200 million; Mr. Trump has said he has raised about $350 million from donors and that taxpayers will not pay. The project has prompted legal challenges from historic preservationists seeking formal review.

A federal judge has allowed initial construction to proceed but is set to revisit whether the government followed protocol at a hearing Thursday afternoon. Mr.

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, White House, East Wing, Shalom Baranes