Legal action could be taken against Donald Trump over the president’s proposed refashioning of the Eisenhower Building.
Historic preservationists have sued the president over his plans to paint the office building next to the White House. Trump has been warned that such a plan could do irreversible damage to the building, with a suit filed on Friday by the DC Preservation League and Cultural Heritage Partners, CNN reported.
The suit has asked the US District Court for the District of Columbia to stop Trump and other federal officials from making any changes to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before the potential changes are assessed in a standard review process. Judge Dabney L. Friedrich is, according to The Washington Post, expected to rule on this request.
The White House has since confirmed no changes will be made to the building until 2026. A statement from the acting commissioner of the General Services Administration, Andrew Heller, confirmed on Tuesday (November 18) that there would be no “physical actions of power” used on the building before New Year’s Eve, 2025.
Heller said, “GSA will not authorize or engage in the physical actions of power washing/cleaning, painting, or repointing the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before Dec. 31, 2025.” Work on other parts of the White House, such as the East Wing, began earlier this year.
Trump’s ballroom plan was roundly criticised when first announced, and his plans for the Eisenhower Building were also ridiculed, described as a “big white blob” by Fox News host Laura Ingraham. Trump shared a photo of the proposed redesign of the 137-year-old building, saying, “Look at that, how beautiful is that?”
Ingraham replied, “Are you not worried it’s like… a big white blob?” Trump disagreed, replying, “No, what it does is it brings out the detail.” Trump is unsure of whether the renovation of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building will go ahead, but did say he’s “getting bids” for the project.
He added, “I don’t even know if I’m going to do it yet, I’m getting costs, I’m getting bids right now from painters, and we’ll see. It would be a great addition to Washington.” Trump was roundly criticized for knocking through the East Wing to make way for a ballroom.
One presidential historian likened the change to “slashing a Rembrandt painting.” Douglas Brinkley said, “Maybe it’s just the dislike of change on my part, but it seemed painful, almost like slashing a Rembrandt painting. Or defacing a Michelangelo sculpture.
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