Trump demolishes the East Wing of the White House
A demolition crew began tearing down the East Wing of the White House on Monday to make room for President Donald Trump’s massive new ballroom, a 90,000-square-foot behemoth that reportedly cost $250 million.
Trump acknowledged the construction in a social media post.
“For more than 150 years, every president has dreamed of having a ballroom in the White House to host people for big parties, state visits, etc.,” he wrote. “I am honored to be the first president to finally launch this much-needed project, at no cost to the American taxpayer!”
Evan Vucci via News
The Trump administration downplayed the scope of the plans when they were first revealed in July, saying in a statement that the expansion would be “substantially separate from the main White House building” and cost $200 million.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt simply said at the time that the East Wing was “going to be modernized,” while Trump stated that the new event space would “pay full respect to the existing building.”
But White House photos taken Monday show a large excavator tearing out sections of the East Wing as workers point a hose at the gaping holes.
Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
Over the summer, Trump claimed that his experience in high-end real estate development made him uniquely qualified to solve what he characterized as the problem of hosting large events at the White House.
As things stand, to accommodate more than 200 people it is necessary to set up tents in the courtyard.
Trump harbors a particular animosity toward tentpoles. He explained at one point that tents require women “in their beautiful evening dresses and well-groomed hair” to “slump” into their seats, ending up “a mess.”
Trump told NBC News last month that the new space will seat about 900 people, down from the initially announced plan of 650 guests.
The White House has emphasized in its messages that the East Wing has been altered at several different times in its 120-year history, perhaps anticipating the public’s reaction to images of heavy machinery demolishing a huge section of the People’s House.
McCrery Architects
The president has also raised ethical concerns regarding the financing of the project, as he is paying for the expansion with donor funds. That opens the door to accusations of pay-for-play policymaking.
“The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous patriots, great American businesses, and yours truly,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. “This ballroom will be happily used for generations to come!”
McCrery Architects
MAGA does‘your mom’jokes
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The New York Times reported last week that “more than three dozen” people – including representatives from Google, Meta, Palantir, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, HP and Lockheed Martin – attended a dinner where Trump thanked those who donated money to his ballroom.
A deal Trump reached with YouTube in September also generated $22 million for his dance fund.
In his second term, Trump appears determined to leave a lasting mark on the White House and its grounds. So far he has erected two towering flagpoles, paved the grassy center of the Rose Garden, gilded the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and installed his own children’s version of a presidential portrait gallery.