"[McCrery] has counseled restraint over concerns the planned 90,000-square-foot addition could dwarf the 55,000-square-foot mansion in violation of a general architectural rule: don't build an addition that overshadows the main building. A White House official acknowledged the two have disagreed but would not say why or elaborate on the tensions, characterizing Trump and McCrery's conversations about the ballroom as "constructive dialogue.""
"Trump's intense focus on the project and insistence on realizing his vision over the objections of his own hire, historic preservationists and others concerned by a lack of public input in the project reflect his singular belief in himself as a tastemaker and obsessive attention to details ... Multiple administration officials have acknowledged that Trump has at times veered into micromanagement of the ballroom project, holding frequent meetings about its design and materials."
Trump intends to add a 90,000-square-foot ballroom to the White House, which would overshadow the existing 55,000-square-foot mansion. The ballroom's planned capacity has increased to 1,000 people and its estimated cost has risen above $300 million, about $100 million more than initially stated. Architect James McCrery II has privately counseled restraint and disagreed with the ballooning design while seeking to manage revisions. Preservationists and others have objected to the project and to limited public input. Multiple officials report that Trump has frequently micromanaged design and material decisions for the ballroom.
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