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“Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski criticized President Donald Trump for bringing a “wrecking ball” to the White House to make way for a massive ballroom.
On Monday, a demolition crew began long-planned work to transform the building’s east wing into a 90,000-square-foot, $250 million event space.
Viral footage of an excavator smashing up the historic facade and windows was shown Tuesday on MSNBC’s flagship morning show, and none of the hosts could believe their eyes. (Watch a clip at the end of the story.)
Scarborough noted how Trump “promised he was not going to throw a wrecking ball at the existing structure,” but in reality “he has thrown a wrecking ball at the existing structure.”
“It’s hard to see that,” Scarborough continued. “And it’s hard to believe that any president could destroy the White House and tear down such a historic existing structure.”
He added: “It would be one thing if you were building, or doing things inside, but to literally bring a wrecking ball into the White House… is grotesque. Just grotesque.”
Brzezinski intervened to say that the scene he was witnessing was “painful.”
Scarborough then questioned what would happen if a future president “wants to just tear down all the walls and turn it into a nightclub.”
“Can’t Congress do anything?” he asked, questioning the broad powers given to the president to carry out renovations at the White House. “Seriously, you’re destroying one of the most historic structures on the planet.”
Brzezinski noted that the White House “is not the house you bought in Jersey.”
“No, it’s not yours, you rent it to the American people for four years,” Scarborough responded.
Built in 1902, the east wing was last altered in 1942 during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt when a second story was added.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
Trump acknowledged the construction in a social media post on Monday, maintaining that “every president has dreamed of” having a ballroom and the taxpayer would face “zero cost.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in July that construction work would “fully respect the existing building.”
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department has ordered employees not to take photographs of the White House while construction continues.
“As construction progresses on the White House grounds, employees should refrain from taking and sharing photographs of the grounds, including the East Wing, without prior approval from the Office of Public Affairs,” reads an email sent to employees Tuesday, a copy of which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
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The demolition of the East Wing is Trump’s latest effort to remodel the White House, coming after gilding the Oval Office, paving the rose garden and adding two massive flagpoles.
Trump has also announced that a UFC fight will take place on the White House lawn on the same day as his 80th birthday next year.
“It’s hard to believe that a president could destroy the White House and tear down such a historic existing structure.” The Morning Joe hosts were shocked that Trump literally brought a wrecking ball to the White House. pic.twitter.com/1oUy1S0ARq
– Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 21, 2025
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“It’s hard to believe that a president could destroy the White House and tear down such a historic existing structure.” The Morning Joe hosts were shocked that Trump literally brought a wrecking ball to the White House. pic.twitter.com/1oUy1S0ARq
– Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 21, 2025