NEWSDonald Trump Appoints 26-Year-Old Aide to Review His Tacky D.C. Makeover
Chamberlain Harris has been Donald Trump's receptionist since 2020.
Feb. 18 2026, Published 11:21 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump tapped his 26-year-old former receptionist to oversee the renovations of his tacky White House ballroom — despite her seemingly lacking such level of expertise.
Chamberlain Harris, Trump’s longtime executive assistant, will be sworn in to the Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday, February 19, with no apparent background in the arts or design.
Trump fired all six qualified members of the CFA in October, replacing them with loyal MAGA allies.
Donald Trump Hired Assistant With No Background in Design to Review Ballroom
President Donald Trump is seemingly obsessed with his tacky ballroom.
Harris’ background shows no relevant experience in the arts. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2019 from the University at Albany.
Harris got a job in the Trump White House’s Office of Administration in 2020, where she became the “receptionist of the United States,” remaining with the POTUS at Mar-a-Lago as an aide after his 2020 election loss. In his second term, she has held the position of deputy director of Oval Office operations.
The CFA was created by Congress over a century ago as a panel of “well-qualified judges of the fine arts” who would review and advise on the capital’s landmark projects, according to The Washington Post.
Chamberlain Harris Not Qualified to Evaluate Matters of Design or Architecture
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President Donald Trump destroyed the East Wing to make way for his ballroom.
Former fine arts commissioners blasted the pick, claiming Harris — whose newly created CFA profile says she managed Trump’s Presidential Portrait Project in conjunction with the Smithsonian — is the least qualified person for the position.
Alex Krieger, an architect and professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design who served on the panel from 2012 to 2021, called the appointment disastrous.
He told the Post, “Some of these people just have no qualifications to evaluate matters of design, architecture, or urban planning.”
Former members told the newspaper that Harris appears to have less previous arts experience than anyone in the panel’s history.
National Trust Preservation Committee Is Suing Trump Over the Ballroom
Some say that the ballroom is Donald Trump's greatest priority.
Harris will now participate in reviews of the president's proposed construction projects, including a $400 million White House ballroom and a 250-foot triumphal arch.
A White House spokesperson has called her a “loyal, trusted, and highly respected advisor to President Trump.”
Meanwhile, the National Trust Preservation Committee filed a lawsuit accusing Trump of overstepping his authority to fast-track the controversial ballroom. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former president George W. Bush, has yet to rule on the case.
