White House ballroom vanity project: What contractor in his right mind is willing to take on this fraught project?

 

Headline: Construction Drive, 12/17/2025  

Sebastian Obando reports:

A federal judge on Tuesday cleared construction on the White House ballroom project to move forward, according to multiple sources, but construction attorneys say the ruling does little to reduce risk for the contractors tasked with building it.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the Trump administration earlier this month to stop its ballroom construction project, which is now pegged at $400 million, double the initial estimate of $200 million, according to The Hill. The lawsuit alleged the administration started demolition and early construction activity before securing required approvals. 

For contractors, that kind of conditional green light creates a familiar but costly problem. Work can continue, but so does uncertainty. The national attention the job has garnered spotlights the risks contractors face when taking on a controversial project that gets mired in litigation.

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December 2025

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White House ballroom:  AIA architects to Shalom Baranes, "Don't do it!"  (12/13)

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New photos show ongoing demolition and site preparation at site of latest Trump vanity project.  (12/10)

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Quote from Shalom Baranes, Trump's new White House ballroom architect:  "My work would be impossible without my fellow immigrants".  (12/7)

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White House ballroom price tag:  $200 million.  $300 million.  $350 million.  Do I hear $400 million?  (12/7)

Washington Business Journal editor-in-chief puzzles out why Shalom Baranes accepted White House ballroom commission.  (12/6)

Trump sez au revoir to McCrery Architects.  (12/5)

Above the law and all of those pesky building codes:  Trump tries to steamroll his way through the White House ballroom planning process.  (12/4)

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November 2025

White House East Wing hallway will not be decorated for Christmas this year.  (11/30)

Portrait of a Sleepy and Insecure Man.  (11/30)

Compensation Chronicles:   Donald Trump ballroom design keeps getting bigger and bigger! (11/29)

White House ballroom vanity project:  Meet the Trump toadies serving on the National Capital Planning Commission.  (11/26)

Sleepy Don feuds with White House ballroom architect. (11/26)

Operations and maintenance costs for Trump's gilded ballroom will be paid for by taxpayers.  (11/25)

Why did demolition of the East Wing of White House proceed without formal review?  Ask Will Scharf, Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary.  (11/18)

White House Ballroom oversight gaps emerge: Let us count the ways  (Part 1:  National Capital Planning Commission).  (11/18)

That's assuming it even gets built by the end of 2028.  (11/16)

What did Donald Trump know about the demolition of the East Wing of White House and when did he know it?  (11/2)

What did Clark Construction know about the demolition of the East Wing of White House and when did they know it?.  (11/2)