Topline
The demolition of the White House’s East Wing neared completion Thursday morning, making way for the construction of President Donald Trump’s White House State Ballroom months after the president said the $300 million project would not “interfere” with the East Wing.
Nearly all of the East Wing had been demolished by Thursday morning.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Key Facts
Photos taken Thursday morning showed nearly all of the East Wing, which was built in 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, razed to the ground.
Trump in a Truth Social post announced the start of the ballroom’s construction Monday, nearly three months after he first revealed plans to build it without interfering with the East Wing, previously saying the ballroom project “pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
Since Trump’s comments, the White House has determined demolition of the East Wing was “cheaper and more structurally sound” than building an addition, The New York Times reported, noting the ballroom structure will have enhanced security features.
Demolition of the East Wing’s facade began Monday, with Trump stating the building, which has been home to the Office of the First Lady, the White House visitor’s entrance and more, “is being fully modernized as part of this process.”
The ballroom will be approximately 90,000 square feet, far larger than the 12,000-square-foot East Wing and the 55,000-square-foot White House.
Trump told reporters Wednesday the ballroom will cost about $300 million, a significant jump from the initial $200 million price tag announced by the White House in July.
The White House has said the ballroom will be used to accommodate larger parties and state visits, noting a seated capacity of 650 people, which is more than triple the capacity of the White House’s East Room.
Debris is seen at a largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House on Thursday.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
A worker walks through debris at a largely demolished part of the East Wing.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Water is doused on the East Wing as demolition takes place Wednesday.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
The facade of the East Wing is demolished on Wednesday.
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Demolition of the East Wing’s facade is underway. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Part of the East Wing’s facade stands untouched during early demolition.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Claw machines are used to demolish a part of the East Wing. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Getty Images
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What Did Trump Say About The Demolition?
While speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said: “We determined that after really a tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world, we determined that really knocking it down, trying to use a little section…the East Wing was not much left from the original. Over the course of 100 years it was changed…In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.”
Who Is Funding The Ballroom?
Trump, who hosted a dinner for the ballroom’s donors last week, will help fund the construction of the ballroom, using at least $22 million in settlement money gained from his recent censorship lawsuit against YouTube. Donors at the dinner included billionaires like Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and oil executive Harold G. Hamm, according to The New York Times, which cited a guest list provided by a White House official that also included large companies like Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, HP, Meta, Microsoft, Palantir and T-Mobile.
Key Background
Renderings of the ballroom were released in July and showed coffered ceilings, chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling arched windows within the large structure. The building will be separate from the White House but its “theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical,” the White House has said. It is not clear when construction will be completed on the ballroom, as the White House has only noted it will be constructed “long before the end of President Trump’s term.” The White House has traditionally hosted larger events on the South Lawn, which would at times be outfitted with tents that featured flooring and lighting. Several state dinners hosted during the Obama and Biden administrations were held in tents, something Trump has taken issue with during both of his terms.
Tangent
Trump last week announced his administration plans to build an apparently massive triumphal arch in Arlington, Virginia, similar in style to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. Details of the project, including the cost and a construction timeline, have not been released, but a rendering of the arch shared by the president suggests it will be taller than the Lincoln Memorial.
Further Reading
YouTube Settles Trump Lawsuit—With $22 Million Going Toward White House Ballroom (Forbes)