Trump's Lafayette Park Fence Goes Before Federal Panel

The planning commission approved Trump's White House ballroom proposal this spring — after he had already razed the Executive Mansion's East Wing without authorization. The separate US Commission of Fine Arts, controlled by Trump appointees, approved the visitor center plans in July and heard a presentation on the Lafayette Square fencing without acting.

The planning commission is less dominated by Trump appointees but still tilts his way. Its 12 members include three presidential appointees, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, General Services Administrator Ed Forst, and from Congress, Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. James Comer — both Republicans. New chairman Mark Paoletta chaired his first meeting Thursday; White House Counsel Will Scharf previously held the role.

Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts, including two during the 2024 campaign and a third this past April at a Washington dinner with White House journalists, the AP reported. Concerns rose again in May after Secret Service officers fatally shot a man who opened fire near a White House security checkpoint.

The visitor screening facility, which the administration wants open by July 2028, has been treated as the uncontroversial half. It would replace tents that have been in use for years. Its original underground site near the southern end of Sherman Park was moved to the western edge after consultations, to avoid utility infrastructure.

Why the fence is different

Permanent fencing around Lafayette Square would be a marked, lasting change to public access and to the look of the ground directly in front of the White House. The square last had permanent fencing in the late 1800s.

Sources: Associated Press, The Independent, The New York Times, Fox News, Business Insider, American Greatness.