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Who Approves Trump’s Washington Makeover Projects?

September 2, 2026
in News
Who Approves Trump’s Washington Makeover Projects?

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump could continue construction of a massive new ballroom on the site of the White House’s old East Wing, finding that the group that brought a lawsuit against it did not have the legal grounds to do so.

That seemed to remove the last legal obstacle blocking Mr. Trump’s plans for a 90,000-square-foot building that would dwarf the White House itself.

But Mr. Trump’s plans to remake Washington extend far beyond the ballroom. He also plans to repaint, rebuild and replace landmarks around the capital, from icons like the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to lesser-known spots like a public golf course south of the National Mall.

These projects are supposed to be scrutinized by independent boards and commissions, whose job is to safeguard Washington’s monumental core. Mr. Trump has stacked those boards with his allies. Instead, Democrats and preservationists have turned to the courts, where they have filed lawsuits seeking to block the president’s projects.

But the Supreme Court’s ruling showed that this route could be difficult. The court found that the preservation group seeking to stop the ballroom project did not have the legal standing to sue because it was not directly harmed by the construction.

Here is where Mr. Trump’s best-known projects stand and who has oversight of them:

1. White House Ballroom

President Trump has said the new ballroom will give the White House a proper venue to hold state dinners. He has also said the project will include an expanded underground military bunker. The total cost has been estimated at $400 million.

Construction status: Work is ongoing. The Trump administration said in recent court filings that workers were on the site 20 hours a day, seven days a week. It said the project was about 65 percent finished.

Who has approved: The project has been approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, two boards that are supposed to review major changes to Washington landmarks. Mr. Trump filled them with his own allies, and the boards have allowed several of Mr. Trump’s projects to proceed while subjecting others to more thorough reviews and long delays.

What hurdles remain: After the Supreme Court’s ruling, there are no obvious roadblocks left that could halt the project. If Democrats take control of Congress after the midterm elections, they might seek to file a new lawsuit, asserting they have a stronger claim to standing because Mr. Trump is defying Congress’s authority over buildings on public land in Washington.

2. Triumphal Arch

Mr. Trump has proposed building a 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, near Arlington National Cemetery, that he has said must be taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He has said the arch is meant to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, though he has also said that the arch is for himself.

The Trump administration has not announced a final cost of the project, though some outlets estimate it could be more than $100 million. Mr. Trump suggested last October that the arch might be funded by money left from the ballroom project, but documents show that the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency, is reserving $15 million for it.

The Federal Aviation Administration has also studied the project to assess its impact on a busy flight path in and out of Washington.

Construction status: The administration has done preliminary testing of the site and has awarded $500,000 to an Oregon-based firm for an environmental assessment, but the administration has not yet broken ground.

Who has approved: The Commission of Fine Arts approved the arch design in May, even after the president rejected the panel’s suggestion to make the structure smaller by removing a towering, winged angel and two golden eagles. Mr. Trump’s plans have not yet received final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission.

Mr. Trump last month named Mark Paoletta, a lawyer in his administration and a close associate of Justice Clarence Thomas’s, to lead the panel reviewing the arch.

What hurdles remain: A group of Vietnam War veterans has sued to stop construction, citing the lack of congressional approval for the project and arguing that the arch would obstruct the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. The Trump administration has argued that congressional actions in the 1920s connected to the design of the Arlington Memorial Bridge already give it the legal right to build the arch.

Many critics of the plan, who have submitted thousands of negative comments about it, have contended that the grandeur of the structure would detract from the solemnity that should be observed at the cemetery nearby. In court, the Trump administration has pledged to provide at least 14 days’ notice before beginning any construction on the project.

3. Kennedy Center

The grand arts center on the Potomac River has been named after President John F. Kennedy since it opened in 1971, and is designated as a living memorial to him. After returning to office last year, Mr. Trump fired some members of the center’s board and replaced them with loyalists. The new board voted to rename the building the Trump-Kennedy Center.

After that, some performers canceled shows at the center, and ticket revenue plunged. A federal judge later ordered Mr. Trump’s name removed from the center, saying that a 1964 law had dedicated the building to Kennedy alone. The center’s board voted in August to close the center’s main building for a two-year renovation, while keeping a modest annex open for some programming.

Construction status: Both the shutdown and the name change are now on hold, as a result of orders by Judge Christopher R. Cooper of Federal District Court in Washington. In June, at Judge Cooper’s orders, crews removed Mr. Trump’s name from the facade, though tarps obscuring the signage have remained in place since then.

What hurdles remain: The Kennedy Center’s board has voted to reaffirm its decision to close the building for two years. Judge Cooper is now considering whether to allow that. The board has also appealed to a higher court Judge Cooper’s ruling that it must remove the president’s name from the building’s facade, and last month voted to add Mr. Trump’s name beneath the main signage. In a recent court filing, the Trump administration raised the prospect that the building would eventually need to be demolished if the renovation did not proceed as planned.

4. Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Unhappy with the building’s current appearance, Mr. Trump is pushing to have the granite exterior of the historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building painted white.

Construction status: A federal judge has allowed the Trump administration to conduct small-scale paint tests on the building.

Who has approved: The plan is still awaiting approval from the National Capital Planning Commission and final approval by the Commission of Fine Arts.

What hurdles remain: The D.C. Preservation League and Cultural Heritage Partners have filed suit to block the painting, saying that the Trump administration was trying to bypass required reviews of the project.

5. Garden of Heroes

Mr. Trump hopes to build a garden to honor 250 notable Americans that would include life-size statues, as well as reflecting pools, plazas, dining facilities and an amphitheater. His plans for the project have expanded to the point that they could require significant redevelopment of West Potomac Park and are likely to exceed the $40 million approved for the project by Congress.

Construction status: The Justice Department told a federal court that the Garden of Heroes remained merely a “vision” of the president’s that was “still a preliminary concept.” But work is nevertheless underway at the site. Workers have been building “exquisitely crafted” gazebos, a gift from the president of Uzbekistan, for the project.

Who has approved: No one. Plans for the project have yet to be submitted to any review panel.

What hurdles remain: A lawsuit is pending. A coalition of six preservation and cultural groups filed a federal lawsuit on June 15 to try to block the Trump administration’s plans to build the garden.

6. East Potomac Park Golf Links

Mr. Trump has proposed creating a “championship-level” golf course at the East Potomac Golf Links, a public facility.

The project will convert the existing 36-hole property into one that includes a larger 18-hole course that could host major tournaments. It will also reportedly include broader infrastructure projects and the rebuilding of a sea wall.

The cost is still unclear, though some estimate that it could be hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr. Trump has tried to raise private funds for the project.

Construction status: The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration had cut down more than 60 trees to make way for the project.

Who has approved: No one. The administration has not submitted plans to any review panel.

What hurdles remain: The D.C. Preservation League filed a federal lawsuit over Mr. Trump’s plans to overhaul the golf course. The Trump administration denied in court that any plans were underway to break ground on the new course by Sept. 1, as Mr. Trump had promised in a post on Truth Social in June. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration in July to explain why the president had toured the site in June, where he was photographed reviewing blueprints with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and other senior officials. The judge further warned that she would intervene if plans were set in motion without the administration notifying her.

The National Park Service has said it will carry out a variety of environmental and historical preservation reviews before approving the overhaul of the site.

Julia Jacobs and Emily Badger contributed reporting.

The post Who Approves Trump’s Washington Makeover Projects? appeared first on New York Times.

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