The first architect hired for Donald Trump‘s new White House ballroom stepped away from the project last October. His departure came after months of friction with the president over basic safety features.
As HuffPost reported, citing an investigation by The Washington Post, James McCrery II worked closely with Trump on early ballroom designs last year. The two spoke for hours at the White House. Trump also called McCrery’s cellphone often to share notes.
McCrery told the White House staff that the design broke fire safety rules, per The Post. The plans reportedly did not provide adequate emergency exit routes for the ballroom’s expected capacity. A kitchen fire could also spread up into the ballroom above, McCrery warned.
Trump reportedly dismissed the safety warnings
Trump was reportedly unmoved by the warnings. He is said to have told McCrery that building codes do not apply to the White House. “I am the code,” Trump said, according to two people who described the private talks to The Post.
That clash followed an earlier dispute over size. Trump kept pushing to make the ballroom bigger, until it could seat more than 1,300 guests. The expanded design was nearly twice the size of the historic mansion.
The project runs through the White House Executive Residence. The Post reported that the same federal building rules do not apply to that small office. Federal agencies like the General Services Administration typically oversee major White House renovations and must comply with nationally recognized safety standards.
Some of the problems went beyond fire exits. One early design reportedly included just seven stalls in the women’s restroom. That was not enough for the ballroom’s planned capacity, according to documents reviewed by The Post.
White House staff flagged the same concerns internally. Meeting notes from September reportedly read, “Life safety — big concern.” Another note from November, weeks after McCrery resigned, said, “Life safety — needs POTUS buy in.”
A White House spokesperson denied that safety issues played any role in McCrery’s exit. The spokesperson called that idea “factually false and totally inaccurate.” The statement said life safety issues “have been addressed and resolved continuously as the design has evolved.”
Shalom Baranes Associates took over the design work late last year. Its founding principal said the ballroom “has been designed to conform to applicable national building code standards.” However, The Post said it remains unclear whether anyone ever completed a code review. This is not the first time the administration has pushed back hard against ballroom design questions.
The estimated $600 million ballroom is Trump’s most expensive project aimed at reshaping monumental Washington. Officials expect taxpayers to cover about half of the total cost. Polling shows the project remains deeply unpopular.
McCrery has not given a detailed reason for leaving the project. In a statement, he said he felt “truly grateful” for the early design work. He said he then stepped aside so a new firm could continue.
Published: Sep 24, 2026 06:34 am