Karoline Leavitt blasts New York Times over article targeting Trump’s grand White House ballroom

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is once again touting his proposed $400 million White House ballroom, planned for the former East Wing grounds, as a defining addition to the presidential complex.

But a detailed report by The New York Times has sparked criticism from experts who question the project’s design and execution, calling it rushed and poorly conceived. The White House quickly pushed back, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt taking to X on Sunday, March 29, to defend the high-profile plan.

Karoline Leavitt defends Trump amid New York Times critique of ballroom design

Karoline Leavitt lashed out at a The New York Times feature criticizing the design of Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, rejecting the report and the experts behind it.

Posting on X, Leavitt dismissed the three contributors cited in the article, arguing they lacked real-world building experience.

"The New York Times had three random people who have 'studied fine arts,' 'long written about urban planning,' and never built anything to write an article criticizing the new White House ballroom."

She singled out writers Larry Buchanan and Emily Badger for their backgrounds in fine arts and urban planning, while making little mention of architect Junho Lee, who also contributed to the piece.

Leavitt defended the project as a long-overdue upgrade, saying "President Trump and his lead architect have built world-class buildings around the world, and they are ensuring the People’s House finally has a beautiful ballroom that’s been needed for decades — at no expense to the taxpayer."

Notably, the estimated $400 million project would be funded entirely through private donations, not taxpayer money.

What did the New York Times report say about Trump’s White House ballroom design?

The New York Times report that upset Karoline Leavitt raised several concerns about both the ballroom’s design and how quickly it is being planned.

It said construction is expected to start in the spring, even though the design may not be fully finalized yet, something experts say is unusual. They said this is very different from how major buildings in Washington, DC are usually planned over many years, and warned that rushing the process could lead to a poorer final result.

"The White House has said it plans to begin building in the spring, a timeline that would mean construction documents would have to be prepared even as the design was still under review."

Architect Thomas Gallas questioned the timeline, saying it didn’t "make sense" to him.

The report also pointed out the building’s large size, noting that the ballroom would be much bigger than the White House itself, about 60% larger, and could disrupt the overall balance of the grounds when viewed from the south.

Additionally, the authors of The New York Times report pointed out several design problems with the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. They said it includes “fake windows” on one side, columns that could block views inside the hall, and a rooftop area that seems larger than necessary.

They also noted that some staircases appear to lead nowhere, with no clear entrance into the ballroom.

According to the report, the ballroom’s architect, Shalom Baranes, said this feature was added mainly for appearance rather than practical use.