Karoline Leavitt Fumes Over NYT Slamming Trump’s Ballroom
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project on Sunday after the New York Times published a critical analysis of its design and construction timeline. Leavitt attacked the Times’ writers on X, claiming they had “studied fine arts,” “long written about urban planning,” and “never built anything,” while asserting that Trump and his architect have “built world-class buildings around the world.”
The New York Times piece, however, included a trained architect, a fine artist, and an urban planning expert who documented significant design flaws and structural concerns. The article noted that the proposed East Wing addition is approximately 60 percent larger than the White House residence by floor area and more than three times as large by cubic volume, making it the dominant building of the White House complex when viewed from the south.
According to the Times reporting, the project timeline has created serious credibility problems. The White House announced plans to begin construction in spring while design documents remained under review, a compressed schedule that architect Thomas Gallas stated “never made any sense” to him. He explained that a building of this scale typically requires 18 months to two years from initial concept to completed construction documents.
The article identified numerous design flaws, including fake windows on the north side, columns that block interior views and daylight, and a lopsided appearance that disrupts symmetry with the West Wing. The south portico, which was not part of the initial design, contains no doors into the ballroom, and an unnecessarily large rooftop area was flagged as another concern.
The National Capital Planning Commission was scheduled to grant final approval to the project on Thursday, despite the ongoing design changes and compressed timeline. Trump has previously admitted the ballroom functions as a monument to himself, stating that he is building it because “no one else will.”