US EditionTrump administration demolishing entire East Wing of the White House to add new ballroom
The demolition expands White House event space to host nearly 1,000 guests with private funding including $22 million from Alphabet, reflecting President Trump's focus on large-scale functions.
- On Oct. 23, 2025, President Donald Trump confirmed the White House East Wing is being demolished entirely for a $300 million ballroom, with photos showing demolition nearing 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
- Demolition crews began Monday tearing down offices including the first lady's before plans are submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, Trump said architects recommended 'really knocking it down.'
- Contractors such as Clark Construction, construction lead, and AECOM, engineering lead, oversee demolition and building as dozens of corporate and wealthy donors pushed costs to $300 million.
- Critics and preservationists urged a halt, as Democrats, preservation advocates, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation called the demolition unnecessary and flagged ethical concerns over companies donating to the project while roughly 42 million Americans risk losing SNAP benefits in November.
- The project would be the largest White House addition since 1948, with critics warning it could overwhelm the building and disrupt its classical design, while officials say it will host foreign leaders' meetings.
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504 Articles
The Wrecking Ball President
Trump didn’t buy the Bonwit Teller building to preserve a historical monument. He wanted to create a monument to himself. Last week’s surprise demolition of the White House’s East Wing wasn’t the first time Trump destroyed a great American building By Stefan Koldehoff and Tobias Timm Donald Trump’s relationship to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was permanently damaged early on. He refused to donate artworks that he had promised to the museum and…
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Americans may go hungry, but Trump’s $300 million ballroom proceeds apace
As the government shutdown drags on, the widespread destruction of the country under Donald Trump and the Republicans who control all three branches of the federal bureaucracy is coming into full view.
Idaho Press
Trump press secretary defends White House ballroom project amid East Wing teardown
WASHINGTON — Workers this week demolished the East Wing of the White House, originally built in 1942, to make room for construction of a ballroom that President Donald Trump had said wouldn’t impact the building.
Comment: Trump has turned White House into his own golden goose
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington As he festoons the Oval Office in gold, he’s replacing history with opulence and turning a tidy profit. Comment: Trump has turned White House into his own golden goose Wire Service
‘This New Excuse Is Crazy’: Trump Official Scrambles to Defend Trump’s Secret Project, Then Trips Over His Own Story and Makes the Lie Even Bigger
The Trump administration is scrambling to explain why the entire East Wing of the White House was bulldozed last week — a move President Donald Trump repeatedly insisted would never happen. Now that it’s reduced to rubble, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the latest White Houe official to push a new and more unbelievable excuse. U.S. President Donald Trump (L) is joined by (L-R) Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent…
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