Even as the federal government grappled with a weeks-long shutdown and foreign policy concerns, the sight of demolition equipment tearing down portions of the White House riveted the nation’s capital, and Americans everywhere.
The demolition work stemmed from President Donald Trump’s plans to build a $250 million, 90,000-square-feet ballroom — which he said would provide an amenity without infringing on the rest of the historic complex.
On Oct. 20, demolition crews began tearing down much of the White House’s East Wing, which includes office space for first lady Melania Trump and her staff, as well as serving as an entry point for visitors. Photographs obtained by The Washington Post Oct. 20 showed portions of the building’s familiar white facade destroyed, leaving metal and jagged edges open to the air.
The New York Times reported Oct. 22 that the entire East Wing would be demolished, citing an anonymous White House official who said this approach would be cheaper and more structurally sound. CNBC had similar reporting.
In mid-October, the Society of Architectural Historians expressed “great concern” about the changes to the White House. The National Trust for Historic Preservation said it was “deeply concerned” about the project. In August, the American Institute of Architects wrote that “further changes must proceed in a systematic manner that is rooted in a deep understanding of place and a thoughtful, deliberate design process.”
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We decided to deploy our Flip-O-Meter to look at whether Trump proceeded with a partial teardown after having promised no substantive changes to the historic White House structure.
On July 31, the White House announced its plans for constructing the ballroom. While promoting the project at the White House, Trump said the ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building. … It will be near it but not touching it. It pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite place. I love it.”
Trump’s description is at odds with the changes made in late October.
In a statement to PolitiFact, the White House said, “The scope and size of the project has always been subject to vary as the process developed.”
Ballroom project basics
The project aims to expand the East Wing’s seating capacity for events. The East Room currently seats 200 people, but the new ballroom is designed to fit 650 to 999 people, according to Trump’s most recent comments.
Trump says this change is necessary to host large-scale events, including visits by foreign leaders. In July, the project’s estimated cost was $200 million, but in September Trump upped that estimate to $250 million. Trump has said the project will be funded by private donations, including from him.
Historic preservation advocates expressed concern that there hasn’t been enough independent review of the plan, especially given the White House’s historical importance.
“While we recognize that the White House is a building with evolving needs, and that it has undergone various exterior and interior modifications since construction began in 1792, the proposed ballroom will be the first major change to its exterior appearance in the last 83 years,” the Society of Architectural Historians wrote Oct. 16.
“Such a significant change to a historic building of this import should follow a rigorous and deliberate design and review process,” the group said.
The project has not been approved by the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal agency responsible for approving construction and renovation of federal buildings. At the commission’s September meeting, the Trump-appointed commission chair Will Scharf said the agency has no jurisdiction over “demolition and site preparation work,” only over construction and “vertical build.” The commission is closed because of the government shutdown.
Trump has already made other changes to the White House’s interior and exterior since his second term began, including adding gold highlights inside the Oval Office and paving over the Rose Garden lawn.
President Barack Obama walks with Kaye Wilson, left, and daughters Malia, center, and Sasha toward the White House’s East Wing on Oct. 28, 2012. (White House/Pete Souza)
How the White House described the proposed changes
Trump’s assertion that the new ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building” is contradicted by photographic evidence.
“I would say that Trump’s statement regarding the ballroom not interfering with the current building (is) inaccurate,” said Michael Spencer, an associate professor in the University of Mary Washington’s historic preservation department.
Trump’s remarks also diverge from the White House’s description of the project on the same day.
In a July 31 press briefing, Leavitt said, “The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”
Later during the briefing, a reporter asked Leavitt, “How much of the East Wing will be torn down? The entire East Wing or just parts of it?”
Leavitt didn’t answer the question directly.
“The East Wing is going to be modernized,” she said. “The necessary construction will take place, and for those who are housed in the East Wing, including the Office of the First Lady, the White House Military Office, the White House Visitors Offices, those offices will be temporarily relocated while the East Wing is being modernized.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds up photos of a planned White House ballroom on July 31, 2025. (AP)
Leavitt’s message echoed what appeared in a July 31 White House news release. While the news release said the ballroom would be “substantially separated from the main building of the White House,” it went on to say that “the site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”
Spencer said he considers Leavitt’s comments and the news release “fair warning” of the project’s size and reach, even if a president’s words tend to attract more public attention. He said the renderings provided to reporters and posted on the White House website conveyed the scale of the project.
Our ruling
Trump said the new White House ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building. … It will be near it but not touching it.”
The photos don’t lie: Recent images of the project show much of the East Wing torn down, and on Oct. 22, The New York Times reported that the plan is to fully demolish the East Wing.
The White House press office described the project in greater detail than Trump, though without explicitly saying the East Wing would be fully demolished. Regardless, the shift from Trump’s initial assertion — that the “current building” wouldn’t be interfered with — to the demolition work in October represents a complete change in position. We rate it a Full Flop.
UPDATE, Oct. 22, 2025: This story has been updated to include a comment from the White House received after publication time.
