National Capital Planning Commission receives over 32,000 comments from public overwhelmingly opposing Trump's ballroom

Approval for Trump’s massive East Wing ballroom project – from a government commission that oversees planning for federal buildings and land in the nation’s capital – is delayed after it received over 32,000 comments from the public overwhelmingly opposing the construction.

The National Capital Planning Commission was expected to take a final vote to approve plans for the ballroom on Thursday, marking the latest clearance for the project in a process that has been on a fast track since Trump suddenly demolished the East Wing last October. But the commission announced Thursday that the vote was postponed to April 2 “given the large amount of public input on the project.”

“We’re going to take the time to deliberate, and we’re going to have a final vote on April 2,” NCPC chairman and Trump aide Will Scharf said as the meeting began. He later claimed that reports the final vote had been postponed were “incorrect,” though agenda items published by the commission ahead of the meeting and a sworn declaration from White House official Heather Martin indicated there would be an approval Thursday.

Dozens of experts – architects, historians, preservationists and former White House staffers; representatives from key groups like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the DC Preservation League, and the American Institute of Architects; and concerned citizens voiced opposition to the project during Thursday’s meeting. Just one person, the owner of a local historic event venue, spoke in support of it.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/politics/trump-east-wing-ballroom-commission-vote