Trump hires a new architect for his enormous ballroom

The latter, a former real estate developer, determined to leave an indelible mark on the White House, had announced at the end of July the construction of a ballroom intended to accommodate up to 1.000 people for various receptions and dinners in honor of foreign dignitaries.

"As we move to the next stage of development, the government is pleased to announce that the highly talented Shalom Baranes has joined the team of experts tasked with realizing President Trump's vision," Davis Ingle said in a statement to AFP.

A senior US official assured that the original architect, James McCrery, would continue to play an "important advisory role." "This is not a replacement but rather a handover."

The project, one of the most ambitious undertaken at this famous site in over a century, has continued to grow in scope. Its projected budget, funded by private donations, has increased from $200 million to $300 million.

Although Donald Trump had assured that he would not touch the structure, he had an entire section of the White House demolished, the east wing, which notably housed the offices of the First Lady.

Images of the gutted building have drawn sharp criticism from the Democratic opposition, who denounced it as wasteful and megalomaniacal while Americans face a high cost of living.

Since the start of construction, the noise of construction equipment has punctuated the days at the White House, sometimes until late at night.

According to the Washington Post, Donald Trump and James McCrery clashed over the size of the building wanted by the president, which the architect considered disproportionate.

The newspaper, however, asserts that the two men remained on good terms and that the decisive factor was the desire to recruit an architectural firm with more experience in large-scale projects.

Images of the project that have already circulated show a luxurious interior, rich in gilding and chandeliers, reminiscent of the reception room of a golf club owned by the president in Scotland.

The White House recently released the list of donors, from tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, to defense heavyweight Lockheed Martin.

Individual donors include the family of Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, as well as twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, made famous by the film "The Social Network," about the birth of Facebook.

The president also assured that he was personally contributing to the financing.