White House to present new details for Trump’s East Wing ballroom in January hearing

PALM BEACH, Florida – The White House will unveil new details on US President

Donald Trump’s planned East Wing ballroom

during a hearing in early January, according to a federal commission tasked with reviewing the project.

The new ballroom, which Mr Trump has said would cost US$400 million (S$514 million) and would dwarf the adjacent White House building, has been challenged in court by preservationists, while Democratic lawmakers have called it an abuse of power and are investigating which donors are supporting it.

The National Capital Planning Commission, chartered by Congress to manage planning for Washington-area federal lands, said on its website that the White House will provide an “information presentation” on plans to rebuild the East Wing during a commission meeting on Jan 8.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The commission, chaired by a White House aide and one-time personal lawyer to Mr Trump, Mr Will Scharf, has declined to review the demolition of the former East Wing, preparation activities at the site, or potential effects to historic properties, in what would mark the biggest change to the historic property in decades.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organisation chartered by Congress, is suing to halt the construction, arguing that the proposed 90,000 sq ft ballroom would dwarf the rest of the White House, at 55,000 sq ft.

The judge in the case earlier in December

declined to issue a temporary restraining order

against work on the project, noting among other things that the size, scale and other specifications had not been finalised.

Another hearing is scheduled for January.

The US President, a one-time real estate developer, has taken a hands-on role in what he has described as sprucing up the White House and the US capital city ahead of celebrations in 2026 marking the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary.

He has also proposed a new grand arch near Washington, while decorating the Oval Office extensively in gold leaf and

installing plaques there offering his personal take

on his predecessors’ legacies.

The former East Wing was largely demolished in October, with comparatively little public notice or consultation.

In a recent notice posted online, the planning commission said a formal review taking place in the spring of 2026 will consider topics including lines of sight, public space and landscapes.

Members of the public will be allowed to submit comments or testify during the review, it said. REUTERS