Former Obama White House chief photographer Pete Souza on Monday expressed dismay over President Donald Trump’s decision to tear down the East Wing to make way for his $250 million ballroom.

“I was surprised,” Souza, who captured multiple iconic images of former President Barack Obama in the East Wing, including the beloved photo of him running with his dog Bo, said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

In April 2009, then-President Barack Obama was photographed running down a hallway with the family dog, Bo.
In April 2009, then-President Barack Obama was photographed running down a hallway with the family dog, Bo.

Pete Souza / The White House via Getty Images

Souza acknowledged an argument for building the ballroom, but condemned the way Trump did it. Initially, the president denied that any part of the White House would be physically affected by the project. Souza also suggested that it was not necessary to seat 999 people or be clad in gold.

“You don’t just tear down a building,” Souza said. “This is not his house. This house belongs to us. It’s the People’s House. And a man shouldn’t be able to just tear down a building for his vanity ballroom project. I was devastated because that’s how he did it.”

Watch the interview here:

“This is not your house. This house belongs to us”: Former presidential photographer Pete Souza talks about the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. pic.twitter.com/rgz75yePA6

– Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) October 28, 2025

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“This is not your house. This house belongs to us”: Former presidential photographer Pete Souza on the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. pic.twitter.com/rgz75yePA6

– Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) October 28, 2025

Souza, who frequently used his Obama-era photos to troll Trump during the president’s first term, has resumed the practice since Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January.

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In recent days, he shared several of his old White House photos while criticizing the ballroom project.

Souza called the demolition of the East Wing “a disgrace” in a post that featured his photo of Obama and Bo. “The White House was once the House of the People. It now belongs to a would-be king,” he wrote.

“It is a symbol of what his administration is doing to the country,” he added in another post. “Taking it down.”