Jen Psaki breaks down new reporting on Trump’s unusually hands-on ballroom plans, including Sharpie-marked designs and reported safety concerns that his former architect raised before leaving the project.
New reporting from The Washington Post has revealed specific design disputes that led to the resignation of architect James McCrery II from the White House ballroom project last October. According to the report, McCrery raised concerns that Donald Trump’s detailed layout demands—which included expanding the ballroom space by removing service corridors—compromised essential fire and safety codes. When the architect warned that the preliminary plans lacked adequate emergency exit routes, Trump reportedly contested whether building codes apply to the White House, telling McCrery, “I am the code.” 0:00 Trump's obsessive attention to ballroom design 1:59 Details of the tension between Trump and the ballroom architect 3:47 The code…
Shalom Baranes says the project’s current design meets national building code standards.
President Donald Trump says his new White House ballroom will include a rooftop drone port to defend the complex
James McCrery II resigned in October after warning that the president was insisting on designs that violated fire and safety codes.
President Donald Trump says his new White House ballroom will include a rooftop drone port to defend the complex.
President Donald Trump says his new White House ballroom will include a rooftop drone port to defend the complex.Open
The president is increasingly invoking the rationale while facing legal challenges to his plans, even in more curious cases like his triumphal arch, which he says will now include snipers and drones.
Donald Trump now says his controversial planned 250-foot arch next to Arlington National Cemetery will house ammunition, snipers, and drones. The Weeknight hosts react.
Aviation safety experts worry about the prospect of drones stored so close to National Airport, while preservationists say a review process can't go forward now.
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