Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Thursday that Commission of Fine Arts chair Rodney Mims Cook Jr. confirmed Trump floated turning the historic Treaty Room into a bedroom during a February 6 tour, while a White House official said there are no current plans to change it.
- Trump said the U.S. military “wanted” the 90,000-square-foot ballroom and is “very much involved,” repeating the claim in public remarks on Thursday without detailing how the military is involved.
- Trump said wealthy donors are covering the roughly $400 million cost and that no taxpayer money is being used, with a donor list released last year that included major corporations.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to halt construction on federal parkland, and a January court filing from the White House said stopping the East Wing demolition would endanger national security.
- The Treaty Room has hosted landmark moments such as the 1898 peace protocol with Spain and the 1963 nuclear test ban signing, a heritage that frames the dispute over converting it to a private suite.