Demolition continued Wednesday on the White Home to make method for President Donald Trump’s $250 million ballroom, however the renovation is much extra in depth than he has let on.
Whereas Trump had mentioned again in July that the ballroom wouldn’t “intervene” with the present constructing — could be “close to it however not touching it” — a White Home official confirmed to ABC Information that the “entirety of the East Wing can be modernized.”
The extent of the demolition was first reported by The Washington Post, which revealed new pictures on Tuesday exhibiting bulldozers razing a lot of the East Wing — what had been house to the primary woman’s workplace, the White Home army workplace and extra.
The next, seven-foot fence was seen Wednesday across the East Wing website, serving to to dam the demolition from public view.
Work continues on the demolition of part of the East Wing of the White Home, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington, earlier than development of a brand new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
A White Home official mentioned the East Wing was being “modernized” from its 1902 and 1942 constructions to help the ballroom challenge and the longer term house of the East Wing. The scope and dimension of the challenge, the official mentioned, has at all times been topic to alter as the method developed.
The Workplace of the First Woman and different East Wing elements have been relocated on the White Home complicated throughout the White Home and Eisenhower Government Workplace Constructing, in response to a White Home official.
Trump has lengthy needed to construct a ballroom on the White Home akin to that at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. Mock-ups for the 90,000-square foot ballroom have been unveiled this summer time, and Trump mentioned the construct could be paid for by him and unidentified donors. The administration has mentioned little since about who precisely is funding the challenge, sparking moral and authorized questions.
Trump indicated earlier this week that when the challenge is completed, individuals would be capable to stroll immediately from the White Home East Room into the ballroom, suggesting the development will contact the precise White Home — one thing Trump himself had beforehand mentioned wouldn’t occur.
A window dangles from the East Wing as work continues on the demolition of part of the East Wing of the White Home, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington, earlier than development of a brand new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
The development this week kicked off a torrent of criticism.
Former first woman Hillary Clinton weighed in on Tuesday, writing on X that Trump is “destroying” the White Home.
“It’s not his home. It’s your home. And he’s destroying it,” Clinton wrote.
The Nationwide Belief for Historic Preservation despatched a letter to White Home Workers Secretary Will Scharf, whom Trump additionally appointed to go the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee, an government department company that gives planning steerage and evaluations improvement proposals, voicing issues in regards to the demolition and ballroom plan, calling for a pause.
The White Home East Wing Reworking
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“Whereas the Nationwide Belief acknowledges the utility of a bigger assembly area on the White Home, we’re deeply involved that the massing and top of the proposed new development will overwhelm the White Home itself — it’s 55,000 sq. ft — and might also completely disrupt the rigorously balanced classical design of the White Home with its two smaller, and decrease, East and West Wings,” wrote Dr. Carol Quillen, the belief’s president.
The nonprofit group urged the administration “to pause demolition till plans for the proposed ballroom undergo the legally required public evaluate processes, together with session and evaluate by the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee and the Fee of Effective Arts, and to ask remark from the general public.”
Plans for the ballroom haven’t but been submitted to the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee, regardless of demolition being already underway. White Home official confirmed to ABC Information that the White Home nonetheless intends to submit plans for the construct to the fee.
Crews demolish the East Wing of the White Home as development begins on President Trump’s White Home ballroom, in Washington, October 22, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/EPA/Shutterstock
The facade of the East Wing of the White Home is demolished by work crews, October 22, 2025 in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Photos
The White Home on Tuesday defended the renovations and the development of the brand new ballroom in a prolonged press launch stating the challenge is “a daring, crucial addition that echoes the storied historical past of enhancements and additions from commanders-in-chief to maintain the manager residence as a beacon of American excellence.”
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt, showing on Fox Information “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Tuesday, referred to as the backlash “pretend outrage” and mentioned presidents previous have additionally made adjustments to the White Home.
“He’s the builder-in-chief, largely he was elected again to this Individuals’s Home as a result of he’s good at constructing issues. He has performed it his total life, his total profession,” Leavitt mentioned. “And development is a course of. On the finish, the East Wing which is a completely separate construction from the Government Mansion you see behind me, can be extra trendy and delightful than ever. After which on high of that, the White Home goes to have a giant, stunning ballroom for generations of Individuals to return.”
However in response to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Division (positioned subsequent to the renovation website) has instructed staff to not share pictures of the demolition.
Trump, internet hosting Senate Republicans for lunch on Tuesday at his newly-renovated Rose Backyard Membership, celebrated the ballroom construct.
“You most likely hear the attractive sound of development within the again. You hear that? Oh, that’s music to my ears,” Trump mentioned. “I really like that sound. Different individuals do not prefer it, I like it.”
ABC Information’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
