Mastodawn

Trump’s massive #EastWing #ballroom project is poised to get its final approval from a “government” [#Trump stacked] commission that oversees planning for federal buildings & land in the nation’s capital, despite receiving >32,000 public comments overwhelmingly opposing the construction.

#law #historic #landmark #preservation #UShistory #CityPlanning #architecture
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/politics/trump-east-wing-ballroom-commission-vote

‘Soulless hotel conference space’: Approval for Trump’s East Wing ballroom delayed amid scathing public feedback

President Donald Trump’s massive East Wing ballroom project is poised to get its final approval from a government commission that oversees planning for federal buildings and land in the nation’s capital, despite receiving over 32,000 comments from the public overwhelmingly opposing the construction.

CNN

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Nonilex 5d ago

The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to take a final vote today to approve plans for the #ballroom, marking the latest clearance for the project in a process that has been on a fast track since #Trump suddenly demolished the #EastWing last October. Approval by the NCPC would mean that any further attempt to halt construction would require intervention from the #courts.

#law #historic #landmark #preservation #UShistory #CityPlanning #architecture

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Nonilex 5d ago

Some 9,000 pages of public comments to the NCPC released ahead of the meeting detailed major objections from Americans who expressed concerns about the project’s size & scope, cost & destruction of #history, among other complaints.

According to a CNN analysis using AI & human verification, >97% of the public feedback was against the construction, with the most scathing criticisms likening the proposed #ballroom’s aesthetic to a “brothel” or “Vegas casino.”

#law #landmark #preservation #Trump

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Nonilex 5d ago

Objections centering around the “Trumpification” of the White House & fears that the #ballroom represented “authoritarian self-aggrandizement” were a common theme among the tens of thousands of comments urging the commission to reject the plan. The much smaller number of comments in support of the construction cited the need for a larger & more modern space as reason for backing it.

#law #historic #landmark #preservation #UShistory #CityPlanning #architecture #Trump

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Nonilex

Since returning to office, #Trump has stacked the 12-member commission with loyalists, & earlier this week, the NCPC executive director published a recommendation to “(approve) the preliminary & final site & building plans for the East Wing Modernization Project located on the grounds of the White House,” all but guaranteeing that the project will move forward.

#law #historic #landmark #preservation #UShistory #CityPlanning #architecture

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Nonilex 5d ago

That expected approval would come weeks after the Commission of Fine Arts, another federal agency where #Trump installed political allies, voted to approve the design & days after a federal judge rejected the nation’s top #historic #preservation group’s attempt to block it.

#law #landmark #UShistory #CityPlanning #architecture

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Nonilex 5d ago

Approval by the NCPC on Thursday would mean that any further attempt to halt construction would require intervention from the courts.

The most serious legal challenge comes from a case brought by historical preservationists, who argue that #Trump needs congressional approval to carry out the construction. And there are already questions about the validity of Thursday’s NCPC vote.

#law #historic #landmark #preservation #UShistory #CityPlanning #architecture

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Nonilex 5d ago

The remarkable speed with which the multi-million-dollar project has progressed has underscored an emboldened Trump’s personal interest in unveiling a finished #ballroom before the end of his second term, part of a broader effort to remake the White House & Washington to suit his style & taste.

#law #historic #landmark #preservation #UShistory #CityPlanning #architecture #Trump

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Nonilex 5d ago

Part of the NCPC’s review process requires a public comment period, & >32,000 people wrote in from around the country with digital or handwritten notes to express their opinions. These comments revealed deep unease & astonishment about Trump’s #ballroom plans.

Again & again, harsh terms like “gaudy,” “garish,” “ostentatious,” “glitzy,” “obscene,” “hideous,” “disgusting,” “vulgar,” “cheap,” “low class” & a “soulless hotel conference space” showed up in the feedback.

#law #architecture #Trump

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Nonilex 4d ago

Approval for #Trump’s massive #EastWing #ballroom project – from a government commission that oversees planning for federal buildings & land in the nation’s capital – is delayed after it received over 32,000 comments from the public overwhelmingly opposing the construction.

#law #historic #landmark #preservation #UShistory #architecture #CityPlanning
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/politics/trump-east-wing-ballroom-commission-vote?cid=ios_app

‘Soulless hotel conference space’: Approval for Trump’s East Wing ballroom delayed amid scathing public feedback

CNN

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Nonilex 4d ago

The NCPC was expected to take a final vote to approve plans for the #ballroom Thursday, marking the latest clearance for the project in a process that has been on a fast track since #Trump suddenly demolished the #EastWing. But the commission announced that the vote was postponed to April 2 “given the large amount of public input on the project.”

“We’re going to take the time to deliberate, & we’re going to have a final vote on April 2,” chair & Trump aide Will Scharf said as the meeting began.

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