Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says
Architect James McCrery II reportedly quit after clashing with the former president over fire and exit requirements.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says
Photograph: Anadolu Ajansı (embedded from source)
What this story says
- President Donald Trump allegedly dismissed concerns about fire and safety codes for a White House ballroom project.
- The architect, James McCrery II, repeatedly warned that the preliminary design lacked adequate emergency exits and fire containment measures.
- Trump reportedly told the architect, "I am the code," and claimed building codes did not apply to the White House.
- McCrery withdrew from the project in October 2025 after these clashes, according to The Washington Post.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 13 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 14 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
45/100
14 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 2 of the 13 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
President Donald Trump allegedly dismissed concerns about fire and safety codes during the early stages of a White House ballroom project, according to a report by The Washington Post. The architect hired for the project, James McCrery II, repeatedly warned that the preliminary design lacked adequate emergency exits and fire containment measures. Trump reportedly told McCrery, "I am the code," and asserted that building codes did not apply to the White House.
McCrery withdrew from the project in October 2025 following these disagreements. The Washington Post based its report on a review of documents, including marked-up plans, related to the project. Federal agencies typically oversee White House construction and must adhere to nationally recognized building-safety standards, unless national security concerns dictate otherwise. However, Trump's projects were reportedly managed through the Executive Residence office, which is not subject to the same requirements.
Disagreements on project management
The Washington Post reported that Trump's projects were managed through the Executive Residence office, which is not a federal agency and therefore not subject to the same requirements as federal agencies that typically oversee White House construction. Anadolu Ajansı also reported this, stating that federal agencies must follow safety standards to the "maximum extent feasible" unless national security is a concern, and that the Executive Residence office is not subject to these same requirements.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated reports mentioned that Trump's projects were managed through the Executive Residence office, which is not considered a federal agency and is therefore not subject to the same requirements as federal agencies that typically oversee White House construction and renovation projects. The right-rated reports, however, did include this detail.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 23 Sept 2026, 16:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
10 rated outlets
- Eight left-rated reports led on the alleged dismissal of fire and safety codes by President Trump for the White House ballroom project. These reports highlighted Trump's alleged statement, "I am the code," and his claim that building codes did not apply to the White House. The reports noted that architect James McCrery II withdrew from the project in October 2025 after repeatedly warning about inadequate emergency exits and fire containment measures. Several reports, including Daily Kos and Raw Story, mentioned that Trump drew over plans with a black Sharpie. Daily Kos also included tangential discussions about AI policy and the "Juche" ideology.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The single centre-rated report, Political Wire, focused on the clash between President Trump and the White House ballroom architect over design features that the architect believed violated building safety codes. It stated that James McCrery II withdrew from the project last October after repeated warnings about the design.
Right
2 rated outlets
- Two right-rated reports, Anadolu Ajansı and IBTimes UK, reported that President Donald Trump clashed with the White House architect over safety features for the proposed ballroom. Both reports stated that Trump dismissed concerns and told the architect, "I am the code," as reported by The Washington Post. Anadolu Ajansı also noted that Trump rejected concerns, arguing that building codes did not apply to the White House, and detailed how Trump's projects were managed through the Executive Residence office, which is not subject to the same federal requirements.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says?
- Of the 13 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 77% are rated left, 8% are rated centre, 15% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 14. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says left or right?
- The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 77% of the 13 rated outlets on it are rated left — so far this is a story carried mostly by the left. Coverage is still arriving and that can change, which is why the figure is dated rather than fixed.
- Is the coverage of Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says biased?
- Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says is one event reported by 14 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says?
- 14 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What were the safety concerns raised about the White House ballroom project?
- The architect, James McCrery II, reportedly warned that the preliminary design lacked adequate emergency exits and fire containment measures. He believed the proposed layout violated building safety codes.
- What did Donald Trump allegedly say about the building codes?
- According to reports, President Donald Trump allegedly told the architect, "I am the code," and claimed that building codes did not apply to the White House construction.
- When did the architect withdraw from the project?
- James McCrery II reportedly withdrew from the White House ballroom project in October 2025, following repeated clashes with President Trump over design and safety concerns.
Read it at the source
14 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
10- Trump’s ballroom architect quit after design’s safety concerns were dismissed: report (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- White House Ballroom Architect Quit After Warning Trump Over Fire Safety; Trump Said 'I Am the Code': Report (opens IBTimes UK in a new tab)
IBTimes UK — is IBTimes UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump’s ballroom architect quit after design’s safety concerns were dismissed: report (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- A.I. and “L’État, c’est moi ” updated: I AM THE CODE (opens Daily Kos in a new tab)
- Report: Ballroom Architect Bailed After Trump Ignored Warnings (opens Newser in a new tab)
- Trump On Ballroom Safety Codes: “I Am The Code” (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Fought With Ballroom Architect Over Safety Issues Until He Quit (opens The New Republic in a new tab)
The New Republic — is The New Republic biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump drew around 'life safety' concerns in ballroom plans with trademark Sharpie: report (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
Show 2 more
- ‘I am the code’: Trump clashed with ballroom architect over safety issues (opens The Washington Post in a new tab)
The Washington Post — is The Washington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Reportedly Blew Off Safety Codes in White House Ballroom Construction: ‘I Am the Code’ (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
Centre
1Right
2- Trump Clashed with White House Architect over Safety Features: Report (opens Anadolu Ajansı in a new tab)
Anadolu Ajansı — is Anadolu Ajansı biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump clashed with White House architect over safety features (opens anews.com.tr in a new tab)
anews.com.tr — is anews.com.tr biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
1How did this read?
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