Trump welcoming 'loyalists with little expertise' for commission on DC projects

In predominantly Democratic Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump is putting his stamp on a wide range of projects — from a lavish White House ballroom that will replace the recently demolished East Wing to renaming the Kennedy Center the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And according to Washington Post reporters Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards, Trump White House officials are "moving to install Trump-aligned appointees to a commission charged by Congress with reviewing Washington's public art and national memorials."

In an article published on New Year's Day 2026, Diamond and Edwards note that Trump's allies are "seeking members likely to clear the way for" his "controversial ballroom and other projects."

"The White House is expected to invite past Trump appointees to rejoin the Commission of Fine Arts, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss those plans," the Post journalists explain. "Trump officials have described the move as returning former members to uncompleted four-year terms that were cut short by the Biden Administration, the people said. It is not yet clear whether those former members — architectural critic Justin Shubow, developer and designer Rodney Mims Cook Jr., sculptor and painter Chas Fagan, landscape architect Perry Guillot and architect Steven Spandle — would accept the invitation."

Diamond and Edwards report that according to Post sources, the commission is prioritizing loyalty to Trump over experience.

"White House officials have also considered appointing Trump loyalists with little formal arts expertise, according to one of the people and another who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations," the Post journalists note. "The commission faces intensifying scrutiny over the president's building agenda, which includes a proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition to the White House that is now the subject of a legal challenge."

Diamond and Edwards add, "Beyond the ballroom, the commission is expected to review future projects that would shape Washington's landscape, including a planned triumphal arch."

Read Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards' full article for The Washington Post at this link (subscription required).