Construction crews have begun demolishing part of the East Wing of the White House to make way for President Donald Trump’s long-anticipated $250 million ballroom — one of the largest construction projects on the presidential estate in more than a century.
Photos published by The Washington Post on Monday show heavy machinery tearing through sections of the East Wing façade, with piles of debris and shattered windows scattered across the grounds. The demolition reportedly began early Monday morning, marking the official start of a project Trump has described as “a long-overdue addition” to the historic residence.
According to the Post, eyewitnesses confirmed that portions of the East Wing exterior have already been removed. Additional images published by the New York Post show similar demolition scenes, signaling significant progress toward the ballroom’s development. The White House has not yet issued a public comment on the construction.
The ballroom, designed to span approximately 90,000 square feet and accommodate nearly 1,000 guests, is expected to be completed before the end of Trump’s second term in January 2029. The president has said he commissioned the project because the existing East Room is “too small” and because he dislikes hosting formal events in temporary tents on the South Lawn.
“In the White House, for 150 years, they’ve wanted to have a ballroom,” Trump said in July when plans for the expansion were unveiled. “There’s never been a president that was good at ballrooms. I’m good at building things — and we’re going to build quickly and on time. It’ll be beautiful, top of the line.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously announced that the project would be privately funded by Trump and unnamed donors. She said the new structure would be equipped with bulletproof glass and would have enough space to host up to 999 guests for formal galas, dinners, and even potential inaugurations.
During a donor dinner at the White House earlier this month, Trump reportedly unveiled early construction work by opening the East Room curtains and pointing out the site of the new ballroom. Guests in attendance included executives and representatives from major U.S. corporations such as Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Palantir, and Lockheed Martin.
Trump has emphasized that the new structure will not interfere with the current White House building. “It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he told reporters in July. “It’s my favorite place. I love it.”
The massive expansion represents the most ambitious architectural addition to the White House since the West Wing was rebuilt under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s.
theguardian.com
