Architects and design experts have raised concerns about US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to build a new White House ballroom, warning that the proposal has major design flaws and risks altering one of America’s most historic buildings.The cost of adding the ballroom is estimated to be between $300 million and $400 million. It is planned to replace the East Wing of the White House and has been criticized by professionals who say the design is impractical and disruptive.Many architectural critics pointed out features of the plans which they said made no sense. They noted “fake windows on the north side”, interior columns that block views into the space, stairs that lead to nowhere, and an excessively large roof area.These flaws were mentioned in a detailed report published by The New York Times, which examined a mock-up of the ballroom ahead of the crucial National Capital Planning Commission vote on April 2. The commission reviews major changes to federal property, including the White House grounds.
Experts say the ballroom will be three times the size of the main White House residence, which will disrupt the historic symmetry of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. “The hasty review, with construction cranes already looming above the White House grounds, is an abrupt departure from how new monuments, museums and even minor renovations have been designed and refined in the capital for decades,” the Times reported, citing architectural experts.The east wing was demolished in October 2025 to make way for the project, a move that sparked its own controversy as it occurred before full planning approval was received.Public opposition has been strong. According to a review of comments submitted to planning bodies, almost 98 per cent of the more than 32,000 public responses opposed the ballroom plan, calling it excessively large and inappropriate for the historic site.Amid voices of dissent, Kate Schwensen, former national president of the American Institute of Architects, said the design was so flawed that students submitting similar work would have failed academically.Trump supporters in the Planning Commission and the MAGA base have pushed the project, and the White House has said the ballroom will be privately funded using money from donors. Nevertheless, conservation groups have raised legal challenges, arguing that proper review and congressional approval were ignored.
The White House responded
White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt criticized those who criticized Trump’s ballroom design as “flawed.” He criticized the NYT report in a post onHe added: “President Trump and his chief architect have built world-class buildings around the world, and they are ensuring that the People’s House finally has the beautiful ballroom it has needed for decades – at no cost to the taxpayer.”