The National Capital Planning Commission on Thursday delayed its final vote on President Trump’s planned $400 million White House ballroom amid a deluge of negative comments from the public.
The board, which is led by Trump allies, had been expected to vote to approve the project on Thursday. But Stephen Staudigl, a spokesman for the panel, said in a statement that the timing would be pushed back “given the large amount of public input on the project.”
The vote is now expected at the commission’s meeting on April 2.
About 32,000 comments from across the country have poured into the commission, which reviews the impact of development projects on the capital’s urban landscape, during the public comment period before its vote on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom project.
An overwhelming majority of the comments, more than 98 percent, are negative, according to an analysis by The New York Times, which used an artificial intelligence model to classify each comment’s view. Only around 1 percent of the comments supported the project.
The public comments are not a scientific poll and do not necessarily reflect the views of Americans more broadly. Still, they underscore how Mr. Trump’s demolition of the East Wing and remaking of the White House in his own style have struck a nerve with Americans.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the comments were part of an organized campaign by people who disdain Mr. Trump.
“These nasty comments are clearly stemming from an organized campaign of Trump-deranged liberals who clearly have no style or taste,” she said in a statement. “It’s a shame that some people in this country are so debilitated with Trump derangement syndrome, they can’t even recognize or respect beauty when they see it. President Trump’s ballroom will be extraordinary, at no expense to taxpayers, for generations to come.”
Those familiar with D.C. projects say the volume of responses — and their nearly uniform negativity — is highly unusual. But the president has taken steps to eliminate any resistance from within his administration to the plans, filling the boards and commissions meant to oversee the project with people who work for him.
Mr. Trump has installed his former personal lawyer Will Scharf as the chairman of National Capital Planning Commission. Mr. Scharf also serves as assistant to the president and the White House staff secretary. The D.C. government is also represented on the panel.
Should the commission approve Mr. Trump’s plans, the final obstacle to the ballroom would be the courts, where a federal judge has urged the administration to go through a public review process before proceeding with construction.
Luke Broadwater covers the White House for The Times.
The post Board Delays Vote on Trump’s Ballroom Amid Deluge of Public Criticism appeared first on New York Times.
