President Donald Trump has appointed his 26-year-old executive assistant, Chamberlain Harris, to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which will review his controversial plans for a new White House ballroom. Harris, who also served as 'Receptionist of the United States' during the first Trump administration, has no known expertise in art or architecture, according to reports.
The commission, composed of seven members with 'expertise in the arts,' oversees the design and aesthetic of construction projects in Washington, D.C., and approves buildings attached to the White House. It will assess Trump’s proposed $400 million ballroom and a planned Arc de Triomphe-style arch. In October, Trump dismissed all previous commissioners to appoint his own allies.
Harris, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from SUNY Albany, previously managed Trump’s presidential portrait project. Other appointees include former ballroom architect James C. McCrery II, who has stepped down from the project and recused himself from the commission’s review to avoid conflicts of interest. Rodney Mims Cook Jr., founder of the National Monuments Foundation, chairs the commission.
The ballroom, potentially named after Trump, will be an 89,000-square-foot entertainment space for state dinners. However, the project has been mired in controversy. Trump initially said it would not affect the White House's structure, but later demolished the historic East Wing, claiming it needed removal for structural integrity. The cost has also doubled from an initial estimate of $200 million, and Trump is seeking private donations, raising ethical concerns about corporate contributions.
