Construction begins on Trump ballroom; East Wing demolished

Oct. 20 (UPI) — The White House began demolishing the East Wing to make room for President Donald Trump’s $250 million ballroom on Monday.

Images posted online by both critics and supporters of the American president show an excavator tearing down the exterior of the East Wing.

“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.” Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social platform, announcing that “ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big beautiful White House Ballroom.”

“I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!”

The ballroom has been a dream of Trump since before his first term as president.

The project is donor-funded. It was announced late July by the White House, which said it would be 90,000-square feet, with capacity to hold 650 people, an increase from the East Room’s 200-person seating capacity.

Originally supposed to have begun last month, the ballroom is to be completed “long before the end of President Trump’s term” in January 2029, the White House said in its July announcement.

Last week, Trump hosted a dinner honoring the wealthy donors, who are backing his ballroom.

“I always said if I pull it off again,” Trump said, meaning a second election victory, “we are going to build a ballroom and I’m going to start right at the beginning.”

“It’s going to be a great ballroom,” he said.

Trump administration detractors were quick to post online in protest of the renovation.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., posted a picture of him and his family in front of the East Wing.

“I wanted to share this photo of my family standing by a historic part of the White House that was just torn down today by Trump. We didn’t need a billionaire-funded ballroom to celebrate America. Disgusting what Trump is doing,” he said on X.

The Democratic Party posted a side-by-side comparison of the Rose Garden before the second Trump administration and after his renovation of it, removing the grass and flowers for paving stones.

“Trump is tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build a $250 million golden ballroom for himself and his donors,” it said on X.

Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House Director of Communications, was quick to hit back, saying “Construction has always been a part of the evolution of the White House.”

“Losers who are quick to criticize need to stop their pearl clutching and understand the building needs to be modernized. Otherwise you’re just living in the past,” he said, also on X.