White House East Wing Demolition Underway, Ballroom Planned in Its Place

This week, demolition is underway on the White House's East Wing to make room for a new ballroom.

The Details: The $250 million project is being funded by President Donald Trump and private donors. The ballroom will be 90,000 square feet and will accommodate approximately 250 seated guests. Critics said a review process should have taken place before demolition, while the White House intends to submit those plans to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), which oversees federal construction in Washington. However, according to one White House official, the NCPC does not have jurisdiction over demolition work.

Key Quotes: "For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!" President Trump wrote on Truth Social. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton posted on X, "It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it."

For Context: The last construction work on the White House was completed in 1952, when a total interior reconstruction was done under the administration of President Harry Truman for a cost of $5.7 million (which would be about $77.91 million today).

How The Media Covered It: The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) focused on complaints about the project's lack of transparency and quoted Democrats who feel Trump is overreaching to "pursue a personal priority." Fox News (Right) focused on Hillary Clinton's appeal to the voters, telling them that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is "their house." The article also points out that the construction is costing taxpayers nothing. Reuters (Center) focused on the fact that demolition had begun before the ballroom plans had been reviewed.

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.