> At a Glance
> – A new 1,000-seat, 20,000-sq-ft ballroom will anchor the 89,000-sq-ft East Wing now under construction at the White House.
> – Architect Shalom Baranes says the wing will match the mansion’s height and add a commercial kitchen plus streamlined guest entry.
> – President Trump-who has doubled the price tag to $400 million-is bankrolling the project with private donations, including Comcast.
> – Why it matters: The build is already under legal fire for starting without full federal approval, setting up a March vote that could halt or bless the makeover.
The White House revealed the first detailed specs of President Donald Trump’s planned East Wing ballroom Thursday, showing a cavernous event space that would eclipse any previous executive entertainment venue.
Inside the Mega-Wing
Architect Shalom Baranes told the National Capital Planning Commission the ballroom must seat 1,000 guests beneath 40-foot ceilings inside a 20,000-square-foot footprint.
The full East Wing will total 89,000 square feet across two levels and rise to the exact height of the main residence, eliminating the visual gap that now exists.
- Commercial-grade kitchen
- Dedicated delivery system to reduce truck traffic on the complex
- New guest entrance to replace the current security trailers
Baranes also floated a future West Wing addition to restore “symmetry” once the East Wing is finished.
Money, Timeline, and Lawsuits
Trump, who announced the project in 2025, told supporters last month the cost has ballooned to $400 million, double his opening estimate.
Private donors are footing the bill; Comcast Corp. (owner of NBCUniversal) appears on a roster of top contributors, though dollar amounts remain undisclosed.
Construction is expected to span years. The NCPC, chaired by Trump staff secretary Will Scharf, will vote on final blueprints in early March.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued in late 2024, arguing the administration broke ground on federal parkland without congressional sign-off. A judge declined to issue a stop-work order, allowing crews to keep digging while the review proceeds.
Key Takeaways
- The East Wing ballroom will be four times larger than the current East Room and the biggest-ever White House event space.
- Trump’s personal involvement has driven both the scope expansion and the funding model.
- Legal challenges center on precedent: bypassing Capitol Hill approval for a $400 million build on protected land.
- A single NCPC vote next month could cement the plan or force redesigns after construction has already begun.
With steel already rising along Pennsylvania Avenue, the March decision will determine whether the grandest presidential ballroom in U.S. history proceeds on schedule or stalls under the weight of historic-preservation law.
