According to a report by The Washington Post on September 23, the first architect involved in the expansion project of the White House East Wing, MacReilly, had conflicts with U.S. President Trump over several design details weeks before he resigned last year. MacReilly believed that Trump's designs violated several building safety regulations.
Sources familiar with the matter said that McReary withdrew from the project in October last year. He had warned multiple times that the preliminary design plan adopted by Trump did not include enough emergency evacuation routes and lacked fire prevention measures.
Trump ignored the concerns raised by McReary and retorted that the construction projects at the White House are not subject to any building codes, because "I am the code."
According to sources familiar with the matter and documented files, McReary informed the White House that the design of the banquet hall desired by Trump did not meet fire safety standards. The regulations require that in case of an emergency, most guests can be quickly evacuated through the main entrance.
The architect also pointed out that there are insufficient emergency exits in other parts of the building, and the design contains almost no measures to prevent the fire in the kitchen from spreading quickly to the activity hall above.
The documents show that, in addition to potential fire safety hazards, the number of restrooms in Trump’s envisioned banquet hall cannot meet the needs of the maximum capacity. Moreover, the event hall occupies most of the building’s space, leaving almost no space for additional restrooms. In an earlier design proposal for the banquet hall, there were only 7 cubicles available for women’s restrooms.
According to a meeting record of a White House official, on September 30, 2025, the White House team met to review the design plan for the banquet hall. The meeting discussed 'issues that need attention' as well as the opinions presented by the project contractors. The record states: 'Life safety—major concerns.'
The renovation and construction projects of the White House are usually carried out by federal agencies. U.S. law requires that such projects comply with nationally recognized building safety standards to the greatest extent feasible, unless compliance requirements pose a risk to national security.
However, the White House construction project led by Trump is managed by the President’s Office. This office is a small administrative unit and does not belong to federal government departments. Therefore, it is not subject to the regulations that apply to federal agencies.
White House records show that after McReary resigned, discussions about safety deficiencies in the design of the banquet hall continued for several months. Reports indicate that it is not possible to confirm from relevant documents whether the current architect who replaced McReary, Balanis, addressed these previous safety issues in subsequent designs.
Regarding the relevant situation, a White House spokesperson issued a statement saying, "There is no connection between McReary's withdrawal from the project and architectural regulations issues. The claims are completely false and baseless."
The statement read that since the expansion of the East Wing Banquet Hall began, adhering to safety regulations has been a priority, and "issues related to life safety have been continuously addressed and resolved."
"Mike Riley was an important member of the early design team for the Dongyi Modernization Project." The statement reads, "When the project entered its second stage, we decided to adjust the direction of our design. We are continuing to make strong progress in order to create a world-class facility that combines military and practical functions, to be used by each president."
The report mentioned that this banquet hall is one of the most expensive projects initiated by Trump to leave his personal mark on a landmark building in Washington. The President referred to this project as a “gift” for the American people.
Polls show that this project is highly unpopular among the public. As of March, the estimated cost of the banquet hall project is several hundred million dollars higher than the amount publicly disclosed by the government, with half of the costs expected to be borne by taxpayers.
