Reports suggest James McCrery II, the architect Trump appointed to design the ballroom, has taken a step back from the project after disagreements with the president
08:54 ET, 01 Dec 2025Updated 13:27 ET, 01 Dec 2025
US President Donald Trump, alongside architect James C. McCrery, who reports suggest has taken a step back from the project
Donald Trump has made a mysterious comment about the White House ballroom project after ongoing disputes with the architect.
The 79-year-old president wrote on Truth Social over the weekend: “As long as we are going to do it, we are going to do it RIGHT.”
The growing disagreements between Trump and James McCrery II, the architect Trump himself handpicked to design the ballroom, were laid bare to the Wall Street Journal by multiple insiders, and Donald’s shocking ‘lie to deceive the public’ was exposed.
Despite initial claims the new ballroom wouldn’t interfere with the existing White House, the entire East Wing was torn down to accommodate Trump’s growing vision. It comes as Trump’s embarrassing mistakes in rushed ballroom plans have been revealed, from wonky windows to a staircase to nowhere.
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One of the golden rules of architecture is that any addition should not overwhelm the building it is meant to enhance, something McCrery allegedly told Trump. But that hasn’t stopped the president’s plans from expanding from a 500-seat ballroom, to one that will hold 999 people, to now Trump now wanting it to accommodate 1,350 guests and potentially be large enough to host a presidential inauguration.
A White House official acknowledged the two have disagreed over a number of issues related to the ballroom but played down the severity of it as “constructive dialogue.”
Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House
“As with any building, there is a conversation between the principal and the architect,” said an official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “All parties are excited to execute on the president’s vision on what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office.”
Reports suggest that workers have been told to disregard zoning, permitting or code requirements as the structure sits on White House property. McCrery has now stepped back from the project, though he continues in an advisory capacity and remains honored to work for Trump.
President Donald Trump displays a rendering of his proposed $300 million White House ballroom(Image: Getty Images)
Trump reportedly wants to have the ballroom completed by 2029. The project has yet to be presented to the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal agency in charge of reviewing designs, although White House officials maintain that the plans will be submitted at “the appropriate time.”
Trump has repeatedly said the $300 million ballroom will be paid for “100% by me and some friends of mine.”
The White House released a list of 37 donors, including crypto billionaires, charitable organizations, sports team owners, powerful financiers, tech and tobacco giants, media companies, longtime supporters of Republican causes and several of the president’s neighbors in Palm Beach, Florida.
It comes as a humiliating report labels FBI Director Kash Patel ‘not very good’ and includes an embarrassing tantrum.