In a surprising move, President Donald Trump has appointed his 26-year-old executive assistant, Chamberlain Harris, to the Commission of Fine Arts, a key body tasked with overseeing the controversial White House ballroom project. Harris, currently serving as the deputy director of Oval Office operations, is expected to be sworn in during the commission’s meeting this Thursday. Despite her lack of a formal background in art or architecture—she studied political science at the University of Albany, SUNY—her unwavering loyalty to Trump seems to have secured her position.

Steven Cheung, the White House Communications Director, has praised Harris, describing her as “loyal, trusted, and highly respected.” Cheung emphasized that Harris “understands the President’s vision and appreciation of the arts like very few others,” suggesting her unique perspective will benefit the commission. This appointment follows a series of rapid changes initiated by Trump earlier this year, when he ousted the previous members of the commission and replaced them with his own selections.

The ballroom project has not been without its controversies. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has taken legal action against Trump, contending that the project should have been reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) before the East Wing was demolished in October. A federal judge is soon expected to rule on the matter, with particular focus on the project’s funding, which relies on private donations. This method is perceived as a way to circumvent the need for Congressional approval.

McCrery later handed the project to Shalom Baranes Associates, a firm known for large federal builds, though the current designs remain based on his work and he stays close to the president. Georgia-based architect Rodney Mims Cook Jr. chairs the group and has expressed support for the ballroom. Other members include Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and a close ally of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles; conservative writer Roger Kimball; former HUD deputy secretary Pamela Hughes Patenaude; and MAGA-aligned filmmaker and sculptor Matthew Taylor.

Thursday’s meeting — Harris’s first — will be held over Zoom rather than in person, a decision one source familiar with the CFA’s workings suggested was deliberate. ‘The meeting is Zoom-only even though chairman Rodney Cook said at the last meeting he wanted the commission to meet in person,’ the source told the Daily Mail. ‘Of course, this helps avoid trouble from the public and press.’ At the first NCPC meeting to discuss the ballroom, protesters from Common Cause gathered outside the group’s Washington headquarters. The sole voice of dissent inside came from Phil Mendelson, an NCPC member and chairman of the D.C. City Council. ‘I’m concerned about the significant overwhelming of the original historic building,’ he said.

Shalom Baranes Associates will present similar ballroom plans at Thursday’s CFA meeting and at the NCPC’s March 5 gathering. Both show a structure as tall as the White House residence, with a footprint three times larger than the current West Wing. The source familiar with the CFA doubts the project will face serious resistance from either oversight body. ‘They’re all loyalists,’ the source said. ‘They’re not going to pick a fight with Trump.’