The project, also discussed by past administrations, would allow officials to more easily shut Lafayette Square for security reasons, sparking concerns over public access.
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President Donald Trump is planning another significant change to the White House grounds: a new permanent fence that would allow officials to close the public park across the street from the executive mansion, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss administration plans.
The fence would be installed on the north and south sides of Lafayette Square, the people said, allowing officials to shut the park if they deem it necessary. The park, through which visitors commonly access the White House grounds, is across Pennsylvania Avenue NW from the White House and is managed by the National Park Service.
White House officials have long relied on temporary fences to close off Lafayette Square, including for an ongoing renovation project overseen by Trump.
Officials across multiple administrations have found the temporary fences to be unsightly and believe they offer insufficient protection, according to the people with knowledge of the administration’s plans. The Secret Service has pushed for the project, the people said.
The idea of a permanent fence around the park was discussed during the first Trump administration, including when protesters thronged the park in the days after the death of George Floyd in May 2020, according to two of the people. After protesters breached temporary fences around the White House complex, Trump was briefly taken to the White House’s underground bunker for security.
The White House declined to comment on the planned permanent fence, referring questions about security to the Secret Service, which did not immediately respond. A White House official said that any future project would go through appropriate approval processes.
Clark Construction and AECOM, a pair of construction and design firms, have been approached to work on the project, two of the people said. Both firms are involved in Trump’s project to build an expansive White House ballroom.
Clark Construction and AECOM did not immediately respond to questions about the project.
Historical preservation and cultural organizations have urged Trump to follow the required, long-established process to alter historical sites before making any significant changes to Lafayette Square. The president has pushed forward with past projects — including his demolition of the White House’s East Wing and the resurfacing of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool — without first going through federal reviews and soliciting public comment.
“Lafayette Square is a cultural landscape of national historic importance,” said Judy Chesser, chair of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, a nonprofit advocacy group. “It is the national symbolic heart of the American public’s right to express its views to the government, regardless of political interest or affiliation.”
Security experts said that there is value in adding some permanent fencing to the White House grounds, rather than temporary barriers that can be more easily overcome by large crowds. But some cautioned that the president’s safety must be considered alongside other factors, such as the public’s access to historical sites.
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“The Secret Service is always going to want lower risk — and that’s their job — but in this case, that imperative is bumping against another important American feature,” said Juliette Kayyem, a former Department of Homeland Security official in President Barack Obama’s administration who now works with public and private entities on their event safety planning efforts.
“We’ve had this park that has served as a place for citizens to congregate … and to encounter their leader,” she said.
Kayyem added that making it easier for the White House to close the park would raise new questions about what would warrant that move.
“Who’s going to decide whether it’s open or closed?” she asked, suggesting that some political marches or rallies could be seen by different administrations as more or less threatening.
The White House has sometimes closed Lafayette Square during high-profile events or when foreign dignitaries are visiting.
Past administrations have considered a range of efforts to boost security around the White House grounds, including the option of building a fence around Lafayette Square.
President Bill Clinton in 1995 shut down Pennsylvania Avenue NW to cars in front of the White House, turning a long-standing road into a pedestrian thoroughfare.
“It should be seen as a responsible security step necessary to preserve our freedom, not part of a long-term restriction of our freedom,” Clinton said in a radio address announcing the change.
Clinton’s move followed a Secret Service review of security risks and came weeks after a truck bomb exploded in front of a government building in Oklahoma City.
Officials also moved to raise the height of the fence around the White House during the Obama administration, after incidents that included one man scaling the existing 6-foot, 6-inch fence and entering the White House before being stopped. A new 13-foot-high fence was installed during the first Trump administration.
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