The East Wing of the White House was demolished in October. The National Planning Commission will meet today to vote on the ballroom plans. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
April 2 (UPI) — The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on President Donald Trump‘s plans for a ballroom to replace the now-demolished East Wing.
The 12-member commission is led by Will Scharf, a White House staff secretary appointed by Trump. James Blair and Stuart Levenbach, also Trump appointees, are on the commission. The group met on March 5 to evaluate the plans and review the more than 35,000 public comments, which are mostly negative.
Some called the project “appalling,” a “monstrosity” and “vulgar,” NBC News reported.
The commission’s vote is on the aesthetics and architecture of the project, USA Today reported.
The East Wing was torn down in October without any input outside of the White House after Trump had said that his plans wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.”
The $400 million ballroom suffered a setback on Tuesday when a federal judge blocked the construction of the building, saying Trump doesn’t have the authority.
“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote in the ruling. The Trump administration immediately filed for an appeal.
The commission’s vote can’t override the ruling.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation had sued the National Park Service to stop the project. Leon said the project “must stop until Congress authorizes its completion.”
Leon also said the National Trust “is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”
After the ruling, Trump complained on Truth Social.
“The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World,” he said.
He later said Leon was wrong in his ruling: “In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval. He is WRONG! Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House. In this case, even less so, because the Ballroom is being built with Private Donations, no Federal Taxpayer Money! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
President Donald Trump delivers a prime-time address to the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House on Wednesday. President Trump used the address to update the public on the month-long war in Iran. Pool photo by Alex Brandon/UPI | License Photo
