For all their furor, theexecutive ordersPresident Donald Trumphas signed can be overturned by the signature ofhis successor. If and when Democrats are back in control in Washington,the lawsthe Republican-controlled Congress has passed at his behest can be repealed. But a 90,000-square-footballroomplanted on the east side of the White House? That will be here to stay. More:How Trump's personal aesthetic is redefining White House décor: 'I picked it all myself' Whatever Trump's political legacy turns out to be, in the first six months of his second term, he has moved to leave thebiggest imprinton the White House complex of any president since John Adams first moved in on Nov. 1, 1800. Two hundred and twenty-five years later,supersized flagsraised on new 88-foot poles on the North and South lawns stretch a bit taller than the White House itself. The iconicRose Garden, designed by Jacqueline Kennedy, has been paved over with what Trump admiringly calls a"very white" stone, making it more resort patio than leafy retreat. The White House Rose Garden is now completely paved over as part of Trump's overhaul. It's become a patio.pic.twitter.com/ZGfhbUThGJ — Joey Garrison (@joeygarrison)August 1, 2025 More:Rose Garden moments revisited after Donald Trump paves it over The Oval Office has been festooned with gilt and gold on the fireplace and the walls and even the ceiling. "You know, we handle it with great love and 24 karat gold," he boasted to visiting Canadian Prime MinisterMark Carney. And the ballroom looms as the biggest project of them all, and one that is hard to imagine reversing. Construction of the $200 million structure is scheduled to begin in September, with financing that the president says will come from himself and "patriot" donors. He promises it will be completed in time to begin celebrating beforehis lease on the property expireson Jan. 20, 2029. More:MAGA's next leader? Trump says Vance is 'most likely' to lead in 2028 If the second-floor addition to the White House residence in 1948 is universally called the Truman Balcony, it seems more than likely that future presidents will be holding state dinners and other fancy affairs in what will forever be known as the Trump Ballroom. Perhaps it's no surprise that a president who came to prominence as a real estate developer andreality-TV starwould be eager to put his stamp on his surroundings. He has been renovating the grounds and remodeling the office where he conducts the business of the presidency,often in front of TV camerasstreaming the scene live. "They've wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years, but there's never been a president that was good at ballrooms," he said in response to a question posed recently by USA TODAY'sJoey Garrison. Trump noted that hisgolf resort at Turnberryin Scotland had a new "incredible" ballroom and added: "I'm good at building things." His inspiration? There's a clearresemblance to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach club and voting address. There, the Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom was completed in 2005, with his wedding to Melania Knauss being the first event. The room features a reported $7 million in gold leaf and crystal chandeliers. The new White House ballroomwill also include crystal chandeliers as well as coffered ceilings, arched windows, Corinthian columns and room for 650 dinner guests, more than triple the 200 who can now be accommodated in the East Room. Trump's love of the regal may have been forged at age 6, when he sat with his Scottish-born mother to watch the 1953 coronation ofQueen Elizabeth IIin London. In his book, "The Art of the Deal," he called it one of his earliest memories. His father "was very brick-and-mortar," he later said, but his mother "loved the ceremonial and the beauty because no one does that like the English." Not everyone is enthusiastic about Trump's redesigns. Critics complain he has turned the Rose Garden into a parking lot and the Oval Office into a sea of bling. Memes on social media ridicule the new ballroom; one portrays it as a giant McDonald's. "What's next, a spa?"one skeptic postedon the platform X. Still,other presidentshave made significant changes to the White House, often prompting protests from traditionalists worried about the cost and the aesthetics. John Adams, the second president and first resident, is memorialized by a blessing etched on the fireplace in the State Dining Room. "I Pray Heaven To Bestow The Best Of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it," it reads. "May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof." But he didn't order the inscription of the quotation, taken from a letter he wrote to his wife, Abigail Adams. That was done by Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. Thomas Jefferson added colonnades, Andrew Jackson the North Portico and Theodore Roosevelt the West Wing, to provide the Oval Office for presidents and space for their staff. FDR oversaw the construction of the East Wing to create offices for the first lady and also conceal the construction of an underground bunker. (The Presidential Emergency Operations Center, dubbed PEOC, was where Vice President Dick Cheney and first lady Laura Bush were hurried after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001.) But none of those match thenumber of changesTrump has launched and their scale. His personal engagement is also notable, including a surprisevisit to the roofof the White House on Aug. 5 to take "a little walk" and view the area where the latest addition will be built. Consider this: The ballroom's square footage not only dwarfs the East Wing. It's also nearly triple the size of the West Wing. It's two-thirds larger than the55,000 square feetof the White House itself − all six floors, combined. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What will be Trump's White House legacy? It's not policy or politics.
