WASHINGTON (TNND) — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which is a panel made up of President Donald Trump appointees, voted on Thursday to approve his $400 million proposal to build a new White House ballroom.
The meeting was originally intended to focus on the building’s design, but when a motion was introduced for a final vote, six of the seven commissioners voted in favor—twice. James McCrery abstained, as he had served as the project’s original architect.
“Our sitting president has actually designed a very beautiful structure,” Chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr. said before the voting. “The United States just should not be entertaining the world in tents.”
Trump praised members of the commission for their vote and the “great accolades paid to the building’s beauty and scale.”
“The Commission of Fine Arts just approved, unanimously, 6 to 0, with one recusal because he had a conflict in that he worked professionally on the job, the White House Ballroom,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The president previously described the ballroom as a “beautiful building,” noting that it will replace “the very small, dilapidated, and rebuilt many times, East Wing, with a magnificent New East Wing.”
The 90,000-square-foot space, which was designed to seat approximately 650 people, is currently under construction.
In December, Trump said the project expanded significantly in size and quality since it was first proposed. He added that “the quality of finishes and interiors has been brought to the highest level” and the column span was “substantially increased” for viewing purposes.
The project is being funded by private donors and corporations, with Trump insisting it won’t be paid for by taxpayers.
‘Beautiful building’: Trump shares new rendering of White House State Ballroom (Photo: Truth Social)
Critics have argued the ballroom project compromises historic integrity, dodges regular review and oversight, raises legal questions and lacks broad public support.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued in federal court to halt construction of the ballroom. A court decision in the case is pending.
The project is scheduled for additional discussion at a March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by one of Trump’s top White House aides. The commission has jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the region.
_____
Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.