Trump Appointee Shares New White House Renovation Proposal amid Controversial Ballroom Addition

The White House is already undergoing some renovations under Donald Trump, and one of his appointees has an idea that would make the iconic presidential home look even more different.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., who was appointed to the Commission of Fine Arts by the 79-year-old president, made a case for switching out the columns seen in the front of the White House for something flashier.

The proposal comes as Trump is building a controversial new ballroom, which led to the demolition of the building’s East Wing.

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While Cook told WaPo that he hadn’t brought the idea to the president yet, he proposed swapping out the Ionic columns in the front of the White House for ones in a Corinthian style.

Corinthian columns are more ornate with a heavily designed capital, which is the top part of the column. While Ionic columns have refined capitals featuring a scroll-like design, Corinthian columns are carved with capitals resembling leaves and other intricate carvings.

The style is seen on building across Washington, D.C., such as at the U.S. Capitol Building.

Corinthian Columns at the U.S. Capitol Building

They’re also a favorite of Trump, who has implemented them in his ballroom.

“Corinthian is the highest order [of column], and that’s what our other two branches of government have,” Cook told WaPo. “Why the White House didn’t originally use them, at least on the north front, which is considered the front door, is beyond me.”

The current columns at the White House were implemented by the building’s original designer James Hoban, and they were described as the “final touch on the building,” which he finished in 1830, per WaPo.

While Cook would like to see the renovation, the White House told the outlet that there are currently “no plans to change the existing Ionic columns” at this point in time.

Just Jared contacted the White House for comment about the proposed renovation, but did not hear back at the time of publishing.