--- title: "Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-dismissed-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-report-says" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-dismissed-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-report-says" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-dismissed-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-report-says.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-dismissed-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-report-says" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-23T15:05:17.179Z" source_reported: "2026-09-23T14:56:15.000Z" updated: "2026-09-23T15:05:17.179Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-23T17:15:19.716140+00:00" --- # 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.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to The Washington Post, with two independent outlets corroborating. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes quotes from the architect and Trump, and explains why the story matters. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headline uses loaded language like 'scoffed' and 'blew off' but is mostly supported by the text. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 13 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 77% (10) - Centre: 8% (1) - Right: 15% (2) 2 of 15 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-23T17:15:19.716140+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-23T17:45:15.364Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 - 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. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 4 - high: 7 - unknown: 3 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Baller Alert](https://balleralert.com/trump-code-ballroom-safety) — Trump Says "I Am The Code," Fuels White House Ballroom Safety Concerns - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-b3055080.html) — Trump’s ballroom architect quit after design’s safety concerns were dismissed: report - [IBTimes UK](https://ibtimes.co.uk/trump-ballroom-architect-fire-safety-clashes-1821523) — White House Ballroom Architect Quit After Warning Trump Over Fire Safety; Trump Said 'I Am the Code': Report - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-b3055080.html) — Trump’s ballroom architect quit after design’s safety concerns were dismissed: report - [Daily Kos](https://dailykos.com/stories/2026/9/23/800097958/community/ai) — A.I. and “L’État, c’est moi ” updated: I AM THE CODE - [Newser](https://newser.com/story/396900/report-ballroom-architect-bailed-after-trump-ignored-warnings.html) — Report: Ballroom Architect Bailed After Trump Ignored Warnings - [Joe.My.God.](https://joemygod.com/2026/09/trump-on-ballroom-safety-codes-i-am-the-code) — Trump On Ballroom Safety Codes: “I Am The Code” - [The New Republic](https://newrepublic.com/post/215748/trump-fought-ballroom-architect-safety-issues-quit) — Trump Fought With Ballroom Architect Over Safety Issues Until He Quit - [koutipandoras.gr](https://koutipandoras.gr/article/lefkos-oikos-sta-machairia-o-trab-me-ton-architektona-gia-tin-aithousa-chorou-ego-eimai-o-kanonismos) — White House: Trump at Odds with Architect over Ballroom - "I'm the One Making the Rules" | Pandora's Box - [Anadolu Ajansı](https://aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-clashed-with-white-house-architect-over-safety-features-report/4066147) — Trump Clashed with White House Architect over Safety Features: Report - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/donald-trump-sharpie-new-report) — Trump drew around 'life safety' concerns in ballroom plans with trademark Sharpie: report - [anews.com.tr](https://anews.com.tr/world/2026/09/23/trump-clashed-with-white-house-architect-over-safety-features) — Trump clashed with White House architect over safety features - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/09/23/trump-clashed-with-ballroom-architect-over-safety) — Trump Clashed with Ballroom Architect Over Safety - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/09/23/i-am-code-trump-clashed-with-ballroom-architect-over-safety-issues) — ‘I am the code’: Trump clashed with ballroom architect over safety issues - [Mediaite](https://mediaite.com/media/news/trump-reportedly-blew-off-safety-codes-in-white-house-ballroom-construction-i-am-the-code) — Trump Reportedly Blew Off Safety Codes in White House Ballroom Construction: ‘I Am the Code’ ## Questions **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. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-dismissed-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-report-says. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump dismissed White House ballroom safety concerns, report says", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-dismissed-white-house-ballroom-safety-concerns-report-says