The Builder in Chief, Making the White House Beautiful Again

By James Banakis

September 6th, 2026

I recently saw a documentary on the History Channel about the Emperor Hadrian who reigned 117-138 CE. He is counted as one the great Roman rulers because he brought relative peace, fixed borders, and built lasting structures, including many big and beautiful walls. However, his legacy is complicated, balancing brilliant administration with manic energy. He was unpopular with the elites. The Roman Senate was unable to work with him because of his caustic personality. He ignored tradition and was most comfortable trusting his own advice. Does this sound like anyone we know? 

The older I get I can’t help but finding comparisons with people in history and even in contemporary life and family lineage. I do it with sports figures. For example, White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth reminds me of Nellie Fox. Until recently no one reminds me of my grandmother. Let me share something a neighbor, Barbara Vandervoort once observantly said of her.

She’s not like anybody any of us have ever known. When she is happy, no one is cheerier. When she is angry, no one is meaner. When she is sad, no one is melancholier. When she is charming, no one is more enchanting…… ETC. ETC. ETC.

She was a unique character until recently I see similarities in her and of all people, Donald Trump. They are and were characters of abrupt extremes.

The most consequential leaders in world history are always the most controversial. Donald Trump falls into this category.  The other category he is a part of is that of notable leaders who were also great builders. Nepoleon Bonaparte commissioned monumental arches (Arc de Triomphe), and Trump intends on building a bigger and of course better one near the Lincoln Memorial. Augustus Caesar and Pericles rebuilt Rome and Athens in marble. Trump is installing the finest marble and granite all over the White House grounds.

Thomas Jefferson was a renaissance man who mastered architecture. Justinian I, ordered the construction of the massive Hagia Sophia in Constantinople in 537 AD. Tsar Peter the Great built St. Petersburg out of a swamp. Teddy Roosevelt and Harry Truman made dramatic, very controversial at the time changes to the White House The one thing all these leaders had in common was they all received blow back from their constituents who opposed change and the vision of the builders. They all built using the finest materials, taking an active interest in all aspects of the projects. They also all possessed considerable egos.

Despite their egos, leaders who are builders want things to endure. They want to leave legacies.  Leaders and those on the left hate new construction, and heritage. They want to break down things, destroy the social order. They despise builders. They spurn beauty that stirs delight.

Recently I wrote about poetry and leadership. I wouldn’t be surprised if the president in all his 80 years, has never thought about a poem that wasn’t a bawdy limerick, but he has so many other talents. He’s one of the most notoriously successful builders in history. Just ask him:

I own buildings. I’m a builder; I know how to build. Nobody can build like I can build. Nobody. And the builders in New York will tell you that. I build the best product. 

I for one am intrigued with Trump’s much needed improvements to the White House. With a builder’s eye and a hospitality insider’s instinct, he has made spaces like the Rose Garden, The Oval Office, the new Ballroom, and the helicopter landing spot, permanent, beautiful functioning people meeting spaces. I’ve always felt that floors are the first thing people look at and judge when entering as space. Trump understands this and has replaced most of the old cheap flooring in and about the White House with the finest marble and granite. A striking floor elevates everything around it.

On three different occasions I’ve toured the White House. Once as a guest at a conference and twice on the public tour. The East Wing, the entrance for the public tour really was one of the most historically insignificant parts of the executive mansion. It housed the offices of the First Lady and her staff, a small library and dinnerware display, and the White House family theater. Every time I viewed the East Room, which now serves as a banquet facility, it was one of the rooms that appeared tired, and smaller than I envisioned.

The new White House State Ballroom project replacing the old East Wing, comprises a total structure size of approximately 89,000 to 90,000 square feet, with the specific dedicated banquet/dining hall space measuring 22,000 square feet. It is proposed to seat roughly 650 to nearly 1,000 guests.

For 150 years, Presidents, Administrations, and White House Staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed, less than 120.

The White House Ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House, but at the same time, it’s theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical. Having done hundreds of banquet events in many different venues I understand how critical the banquet kitchen and prep area is to the success of the event. In the past all events have had to be prepared and orchestrated off site. No more.

Historically the Oval Office is not a working office, but a historic reception area where presidents sign legislation, and engage foreign leaders. Trump has created a historically stunning room that replaces what used to be nondescript by comparison. It connects seamlessly with the redesigned Rose Garden.

Not unlike Emperor Hadrian, the president is constantly moving about. He gives press conferences while giving directions and suggestions to construction workers. Plans for his Presidential library will of course leave all other libraries wanting and envious. He’s a multitasker.

Trump’s detractors as usual have been apoplectic with every change. His feverish pace has left them baffled and confused. The businessman in him has even found a way to pay for most of the changes through donations.

Trump’s plans for his presidential library are spectacular. A glass highrise in Miami setting a new standard for multi-use, accessible, and beautiful libraries and museums.

Donald Trump is making the White House beautiful again. As a good steward, he’s going to leave the White House in much better condition than he found it. This will be a large part of his legacy. The people’s house is finally getting the care it deserves.

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Jimmy Banakis is a life-long restaurateur.  He was an honorary batboy for the White Sox in 1964. He attended Oak Park River Forest High School, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Chicago-Kent Law School.  He claims the kitchen is the room he’s most comfortable in anywhere in the world. He published an extremely limited-edition family cookbook. He’s a father and grandfather, and lives in Downers Grove Il.

Comments 24

  1. A well-written and timely effort, like President Trump’s building efforts. He’ll get 0 credit from today’s media, a sign of their small-mindedness, and he has gotten much heat over his cleaning efforts instead of the applause he deserves. Nevertheless, it will be the part of his legacy that will outlast most of the others. Of course, it helps that I also appreciate the Palladian, neoclassical, Georgian, Federalist [pick your term] style of architecture above all others as well. I wish other president’s and governors would share his zeal for clean, safe, and beautiful public spaces, but such have proven too few and far between.

  2. Thanks Jimmy for this interesting piece. No matter what DJT does there it will be criticized by the opposition.

    Maybe they’ll even tear out the improvements and return it to its prior shape just to spite him. Of course, if they do it’ll be on our dime thru taxes rather than the private donations our President has gotten to do the current updating. And speaking of donations, he donates his salary to charity.

    He wasn’t my first choice as a presidential candidate long ago, but he beat hillrod by a mile. I wonder where we’d be currently if the opposition would have compromised and cooperated with President Trump as opposed to constant thwarting, indictment and impeachment of him? Even the RINOs block him.

    Thanks again Jimmy. Happy Sunday everyone.

  3. The contrast between President and his opponents could not be more stark: he builds, they destroy. He puts up monuments, they tear them down. He cleans up monuments, they litter them with their moronic graffiti. He saves babies, they abort them….the difference between good and evil is quite simple after all.

  5. Jimmy, your article is spot on. When my wife and I were at the White House it was hard to not notice how small most of the rooms were and the feeling of cramped spaces. This redo was long overdue.

  6. Forgotten by the detractors is that a new, more secure presidential bunker and command center is being built below. I’m surprised the exact blueprints haven’t been leaked by the press to our enemies, but I think perhaps the architects and builders are on DJT’s side.

  7. The upgrades to existing rooms sound overdue, at a minimum, and improving floors, etc. will nicely elevate. I too remember the White House interior feeling a bit ragged & underwhelming when I toured. I appreciate the eagle eye perspective of a restaurateur here.

    My only divergence is that I’m not really on board with the exponentially expanded size of the ballroom. For a state dinner, is there really a need for 500-900 extra courtiers in attendance? And those extra courtiers will now be needed as no host ever wants a room that feels empty or not alive. A country’s stature is not defined by the size of the guest list but the names on it.

    1. “I’m not really on board with the exponentially expanded size of the ballroom. For a state dinner, is there really a need for 500-900 extra courtiers in attendance?”

      Maybe I can give you a bit of perspective. If Mr. Banakis’ current capacity figure of 120 is correct (and I have no reason to doubt it), that means that my Masonic Lodge hall in Michigan (which seats 300 for dinners) is more than twice the size of the White House’s facility, and to me that’s just nuts. Is 1000 seats too big? Maybe, but I’m thinking that 650 would be a good minimum.
      My understanding is that any event over the current capacity of 120 has to be held outdoors, under awnings. Given the range of weather in DC, would you *really* want to host a formal event such as a state dinner under such conditions? Would you *really* want to be seated, dressed in tux, your lady in a formal gown, towards the edge of the tent/canopy when the rain and wind blew in? Bon appétit!

      1. A couple of things that came to mind after my original post –
        * That range of 650-1000 seats is probably dependent on whether part of the space is taken up by a dance floor, so maybe it’s 650 with a dance floor, 1000 without.
        * If designed properly, dividers/partitions could be used to create a smaller space when necessary.

  8. One can make the argument either way whether tradition or improvements should rule. That being said, the new banquet hall does appear to satisfy a real need. On the other hand, the meaningless, humongous arch seems a bridge too far, being more to satisfying an insatiable ego, not unlike the new monstrosity in Jackson Park.

  9. Thank you once again for an enlightening and entertaining us with historical references of fact.
    He most certainly has done more than any other President within my lifetime for the good of all people regardless of party affiliation.

  10. Great insights here, James, even the minor ones. Yes, Chase Meidroth does recall beloved Nellie at second (except for hitting right-handed). Your column also inspired me to reflect on President Trump’s outsized ego, energy and combativeness. That seems reminiscent of Teddy Roosevelt (except for Teddy’s hitting capitalism a bit too left-handed).

    One other comparison came to mind: to leftists who rage about Trump supervising a beautiful, needed new ballroom (paid for mostly by private contributions) and who’d complain if he cured cancer. Remember that surly kid at school who scoffed at students who worked harder? Today he’d be one of the young adult closet commies living at home and raging about capitalism. Losers are reflexively anti-Trump.

  11. The left can’t wait to undue Trump’s executive orders, but what they really can’t stomach is that they will be forced to witness and credit Trump’s achievements like improving the White House for years and years to come

  12. Touring the White House in 1992 left me feeling sad and chagrined that much of it looked long in the tooth and worn. It didn’t fit a country that rewards excellence and initiative.

  13. Wow, an opinion article that does a detailed job of explaining the background as well as the current situation of a subject which explains how and why his opinion was formed. Almost unheard of in these days ( except at johnkassnews,com of course). Thanks Mr. Banakis for this excellent article.

  15. Emperors are for people who need to be led.. I like Trump, but the goal is for there to be no need for this kind of leadership.

    There was no need for Lincoln. You could walk in to the White House, anyone could, and Lincoln would receive you. And near the end he would break down and cry right in front of you. The war he never wanted killed him.

    So Trumps new arch will bind us together again, behind you, Lincoln, before you Lee’s Arlington

    Perfect

    1. All nations need to be lead. When America has a weak leader like Obama or Biden America’s position as a world leader suffers. Strong leaders like Reagan or Trump reestablish our position as the leader of the free world.

      You say there was no need for Lincoln. Without Lincoln would we have had a civil war? Perhaps. Would slavery have been abolished? Perhaps. Both might still have happened but as some later date and only after many had suffered under the yoke of slavery. But without Lincoln’s strong leadership, for which he gave his life, our nation would be a different place today.

      Trump’s idea for an arch may never come to fruition but the changes he has made and is making has elevated our country and reset the relationships with both allies and enemies.

  16. The disparity between the builders on the right and the destroyers on the left can be found in a simple comparison between Trump’s ballroom and the brutalist garbage can now sitting south of the Museum of Science and Industry.

  18. “Where there is no vision, the People perish.” Book of Proverbs

    Trump has a pretty good set of eyes (physical and historical) and I can only gasp at the energy and reaction time of this powerful statesman.

    Trump impressed me in his first term and even more so in his unshackled second term. The man is a prodigy.

    Great stuff, Jimmy!

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