View debris from the East Wing removed outside the White House during demolition
Workers continued to remove the remains of the East Wing of the White House after President Trump announced plans to build a banquet hall in its place.
A vote on President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom plan has been rescheduled after the committee tasked with deciding the plan received more than 35,000 written comments and 104 people requesting to testify at a March 5 hearing.
The National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees the development and site design of federal real estate, said it would hold an online public hearing again today to hear from the large number of people, mostly negative, who registered for talks or contacted the public via email to share their views.
“Given the large volume of input on this project from both witnesses and written comments, the commission will not deliberate and vote on the project (March 5) and will consider and vote on it at a later date,” NCPC spokesman Steven Staudigl told USA TODAY.
Staudigl said the majority of responses he received via email expressed negative opinions about the ballroom, and a quick review in USA TODAY found many angry responses calling the ballroom idea flashy, expensive, pretentious and unnecessary.
The commission’s public meeting promises to provide a window into the public’s view of the project that led to the demolition of the east tower. The 12-member NCPC board is chaired by Trump’s appointee, Chief of Staff Will Schaaf, and includes two other White House officials.
After the commission asked for comments, people from across the country sent written comments via email to the NCPC. An online portal opened on February 12th, allowing people to register to speak.
The Trump Ballroom project was first announced by the White House in July and has since undergone a number of changes in terms of funding, seating capacity and cost. Prices jumped from $200 million to $400 million, and the banquet hall could now accommodate 1,000 people.
Many people are against banquet halls
“How could he ‘do that’ without the consent of you or Congress? Don’t let him build this additional gold-plated monster and get away with it. It will be a replica of his ‘gold-plated lifestyle’ and it’s disgusting,” Penny Jarrett wrote.
The project was “started without the proper permits, permits, and design review. This is not a modernization project, but rather a complete destruction of American history. I would like this project to be canceled and the east wing to be rebuilt and returned to its original design,” Patricia Abrego wrote.
Tim Cobb wrote, “The East Wing ballroom is clearly unnecessary.” “Not to mention the absurdity of President Trump, whose insecurities and insatiable narcissism are clearly on display in this project. I couldn’t agree more with this outrage.”
Last month, the Fine Arts Commission, a committee whose members were all appointed by President Trump in January, unanimously approved plans for the 90,000-square-foot White House Ballroom. The NCPC and CFA are the only agencies responsible for reviewing the construction of controversial projects.
CFA Director Thomas Lübke said 99% of the 2,000 comments received were negative.
Similarly, the NCPC “received a significant number of public comments regarding this project, the majority of which were in opposition to the project,” Staudigl told USA TODAY.
Finding positive comments among a pile of papers was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But they exist.
Anne Nieman, a supporter of the project, writes that her father was a prominent preservation architect in Alabama.
“The White House grand ballroom has been the vision of many successive administrations. It’s frankly embarrassing that world leaders can come to the greatest country on earth and, no matter how luxuriously equipped, only be welcomed in a giant wedding tent complete with a porta-potty,” she wrote. “Taxpayers should be grateful that America’s most successful private donors are willing to contribute funds to bring this much-needed addition to our capital complex. It will provide our leaders and guests with enhanced security and comfort, and display the dignity befitting grand American style.”
Landscape architect Greg Sullivan wrote a letter supporting the president’s project.
“I voted for the president and what he brings to the White House,” Sullivan wrote. “He will do a great job on this much-needed addition that will be helpful to all subsequent administrations.”
After the east tower was demolished without warning in October, sparking a massive public outcry, the White House insisted that under federal law, the NCPC’s 12-member committee only reviews construction projects, not the demolition of existing buildings.
A poll conducted the week after the East Tower demolition found that most Americans oppose President Trump’s plan to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
A Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos poll found that 56% of Americans oppose the demolition and banquet hall project, including 45% who said they “strongly oppose.” Meanwhile, 28% of respondents said they supported the plan.
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires reviews of projects that affect most historic buildings, but exempts the White House, Supreme Court building and the U.S. Capitol.
In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block construction of the project, arguing that it required Congressional approval and that its size would “dwarf the White House itself.”
The suit was dismissed by a federal judge on the grounds that the organization did not sufficiently prove it exceeded the president’s authority. Rather, the challenge was based on a “medley of theories” based on federal law and the Constitution. Still, he said the court will consider additional efforts if the group decides to amend its complaint.
The conservation groups subsequently filed an amended lawsuit, alleging that the administration violated federal law by proceeding without the necessary approvals.
The Trump campaign countered in court that the president did not need approval from lawmakers because the project did not require taxpayer dollars and was funded by private donations.
Democratic lawmakers are wary of accepting money from companies that do business with the federal government.
“President Trump’s gold-plated banquet hall has become a vector for corruption,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Donors include Palantir, Lockheed Martin and Meta, according to a list provided by the White House.
The project has since been first announced by the White House in July, including funding, seating capacity and costs. Prices jumped from $200 million to $400 million, and the banquet hall could now accommodate 1,000 people.
In a written comment, Kathleen McCreary of Northern Virginia asked, “Why don’t we, the people, have a say in this? When the gap between rich and poor in this country is so wide, why are we obsessed with giant ballrooms for lavish parties? This project should be canceled.”
