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  • Trump Defends White House Demolition, Says East Wing Was Ugly Anyway

    Trump holds a rendering of the White House ballroom.
    Photo: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

    Incredibly, White House communications director Steven Cheung’s mocking of the “pearl clutching” “losers” who raised concerns about the East Wing being demolished did not quell the outrage over President Trump’s unilateral decision to tear down part of the White House to make way for his ballroom.

    So the White House tried a different tactic on Wednesday afternoon: having President Trump explain that everyone needs to chill out because the East Wing was pretty ugly and his new White House ballroom will be totally badass.

    “You know, the East Wing was not much,” Trump mused before the press in the Oval Office. “It was not much left from the original. It was, over the course of 100 years, it was changed, the columns were removed, it was a much different building. Then a story was added on in 1948, 1949. There was a story added on which was not particularly nice. And the building was very, very much changed from what it was originally. It was never thought of as being much. It was a very small building.”

    So, Trump asserted, it would be wrong to let this historic eyesore stand in the way of his grand ballroom vision. “Rather than allowing that to hurt a very expensive, beautiful building that frankly they’ve been after for years,” he said.

    While he was speaking, Trump brandished what appeared to be unreleased blueprints for the ballroom project, which have yet to be submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission as (arguably) required by law.

    He also raised the estimated cost of the ballroom from $200 million to $300 million, and revealed that the military is heavily involved in the project … because they just love making beautiful buildings?

    “We’re also working with the military on it, ’cause they want to make sure it’s perfect, and the military is very much involved in this,” Trump said. “They want to make sure that everything is absolutely beautiful.”

    Wow! You’re telling me now for the first time!

    And while Trump said in July that the project “won’t interfere with the current building,” he appeared to confirm the entire East Wing will soon be no more.

    “We are using little sections of footings and various other things, but that’s sort of irrelevant,” he said. “In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.

    Earlier today, a White House official told NBC News that the “entirety” of the East Wing would go but would eventually be “modernized and rebuilt.” Trump’s model showed the new ballroom dwarfing the rest of the White House complex, but it’s unclear where this modernized East Wing might go (the giant structure on the right is the Treasury Building).

    A rendering of President Trump’s proposed $250 million White House ballroom.
    Photo: Getty Images

    A few hours later on Truth Social, Trump shared a video of Senator Josh Hawley calling liberals hypocrites because they were in favor of removing offensive statues and now oppose destroying parts of the White House with no oversight.

    “They didn’t have any concern for history then,” Hawley said. “Now all of a sudden they’re like, oh, the facade of the East Wing is iconic.”

    Trump has certainly raised some interesting arguments, but we still have a lot of questions. It probably would have been good if he’d made this pitch before most of the East Wing was reduced to rubble.

    This post was updated to include Trump’s Truth Social post.


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    Margaret Hartmann

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  • DAVID MARCUS: Trump’s ballroom is no vanity project, it’s about American grandeur

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    The Democrats, or Socialists, or whatever they are these days, are hopping mad over President Donald Trump’s construction of a ballroom in the East Wing of the White House, and while it may be their silliest freakout of the entire Trump era, it is also quite telling.

    The ladies on ABC’s “The View” were apoplectic when they saw images of demolition, a fairly ordinary way to begin renovations, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They echoed one-time resident Hillary Clinton’s complaint that Trump doesn’t own the White House, even taking to song about it.

    A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the exterior of the new ballroom. (White House)

    What makes this argument so absurd, is that Trump is not building this ballroom for his personal use or glory. It’s not a vanity project. It is a long-considered addition to an executive home that lacked the capacity to hold large indoor events.

    Trump, as has always been his wont, is looking to create grandeur, and that seems to be something to which leftists reflexively object.

    TRUMP BREAKS GROUND ON MASSIVE WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT WITH PRIVATE FUNDING FROM ‘PATRIOTS’

    Trump is obviously not the first president to renovate the White House. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt put in a swimming pool. His successor, President Harry Truman, practically gutted the place to add a balcony. President Nixon covered the swimming pool but added a bowling alley. Finally, President Obama transformed the tennis court into a basketball court.

    Note that these are all changes that were made to serve the respective president’s personal taste or enjoyment, like a Roman emperor adding a water feature to his personal dining area.

    What Trump is doing is completely different. The ballroom he is constructing will likely survive as a symbol of American power long after we are all gone. It will be, in a sense, our generation’s contribution to the people’s home.

    TRUMP CELEBRATES WHITE HOUSE DEMOLITION AS NEW BALLROOM RISES: ‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’

    Trump wants this venue, this symbol of America, to be grand and classically inspired, a timeless marble monument to a United States that emerged from the 20th century as the world’s only super power.

    And in a way, this is part of what the left objects to, not just in regard to the White House project, but to Trump’s proposed new arch in Washington, D.C., and great statuaries of American heroes, not to mention the recent massive military parade.

    white house ballroom

    A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the new ballroom. (The White House)

    In the post-Cold War era, part of America’s international style and sensibility was to be understated. Like the star quarterback who is also a model and a chess prodigy, we learned not to rub it in.

    HILLARY CLINTON FIRES UP VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION: ‘NOT HIS HOUSE”

    In that time, very little public art or architecture was done on a grand and classic scale, and in more recent times, our society has been so hellbent on taking statues and monuments down, that we gave little thought to putting them up.

    Trump instinctively understands that in 2025, America may still be the world’s only superpower, but not by so hegemonic a distance as in the recent past. China, among others have been catching up, and the “aw, shucks” attitude of the past needs some adjusting.

    World leaders as well those on public White House tours should have their breath taken away when they walk into the presidential ballroom. Such displays are as old as nations themselves, from the pyramids to the Coliseum, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

    HILLARY CLINTON MOCKED FOR 2001 FURNITURE SCANDAL AMID TRUMP BALLROOM MELTDOWN: ‘AT LEAST HE DIDN’T STEAL’

    Though this expansion of the White House would be well worth taxpayer money, Trump has found a way to build it with private donations, as well as his own funds. Still the left is throwing a fit. Why?

    White House demolition for new ballroom

    The White House has started tearing down part of the East Wing to build the ballroom President Donald Trump wants added to the building. Demolition started Monday. (The Associated Press)

    Recent polling showed that only 36% of Democrats are very, or even just somewhat, proud of America. This being the case, it’s easy to understand why they object to building testaments to its power and glory.

    What Democrats and socialists are really objecting to here is not that Trump’s ballroom celebrates himself, it’s that his ballroom unabashedly celebrates America.

    Fifty years from now, when King George VII of Great Britain dines at the White House, people will little remember that it was built by Trump, even if all the gold leaf remains. By then, it will simply be a great piece of American architecture we can all be proud of.

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    Americans want and deserve a big, beautiful ballroom for their nation’s executive mansion, and there has never been a president more capable of delivering it than our real estate mogul-in-chief.

    Liberals can stamp their feet in anger all they want. But the ballroom is going to be built, and eventually, most of them will come to appreciate it.

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  • Column: Trump is in his Louis XIV era, and it’s not a good look

    To say that President Trump is unfazed by Saturday’s nationwide “No Kings” rally, which vies for bragging rights as perhaps the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, is the sort of understatement too typical when describing his monarchical outrages.

    Leave aside Trump’s grotesque mockery of the protests — his post that night of an AI-generated video depicting himself as a becrowned pilot in a fighter jet, dropping poop bombs on citizens protesting peacefully below. Consider instead two other post-rally actions: On Sunday and Wednesday, “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth announced first that on Trump’s orders the military had struck a seventh boat off Venezuela and then an eighth vessel in the Pacific, bringing the number of people killed over two months to 34. The administration has provided no evidence to Congress or the American public for Trump’s claims that the unidentified dead were “narco-terrorists,” nor any credible legal rationale for the strikes. Then, on Monday, Trump began demolishing the White House’s East Wing to create the gilded ballroom of his dreams, which, at 90,000 square feet, would be nearly twice the size of the White House residence itself.

    As sickening as the sight was — heavy equipment ripping away at the historic property as high-powered hoses doused the dusty debris — Trump’s $250-million vanity project is small stuff compared to a policy of killing noncombatant civilian citizens of nations with which we are not at war (Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador). Yet together the actions reflect the spectrum of consequences of Trump’s utter sense of impunity as president, from the relatively symbolic to the murderous.

    “In America the law is king,” Thomas Paine wrote in 1776. Not in Trump’s America.

    Among the commentariat, the president’s desecration of the East Wing is getting at least as much criticism as his extralegal killings at sea. Many critics see in the bulldozing of the People’s House a metaphor for Trump’s destructive governance generally — his other teardowns of federal agencies, life-saving foreign aid, healthcare benefits and more. The metaphor is indeed apt.

    But what’s more striking is the sheer sense of impunity that Trump telegraphs, constantly, with the “je suis l’état” flare of a Louis XIV — complete (soon) with Trump’s Versailles. (Separately, Trump’s mimicry of French emperors now includes plans for a sort of Arc de Triomphe near Arlington Cemetery. A reporter asked who it would be for. “Me,” Trump said. Arc de Trump.)

    No law, domestic or international, constrains him, as far as the convicted felon is concerned. Neither does Congress, where Republicans bend the knee. Nor the Supreme Court, with its 6-3 right-wing majority, including three justices Trump chose in his first term.

    The court’s ruling last year in Trump vs. United States gives Trump virtual immunity from criminal prosecution, but U.S. servicemembers don’t have that protection when it comes to the deadly Caribbean Sea attacks or any other orders from the commander in chief that might one day be judged to have been illegal.

    The operation’s commander, Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, reportedly expressed concerns about the strikes within the administration. Last week he announced his retirement after less than a year as head of the U.S. Southern Command. It could be a coincidence. But I’m hardly alone in counting Holsey as the latest casualty in Trump and Hegseth’s purge of perceived nonloyalists at the Pentagon.

    “When the president decides someone has to die, the military becomes his personal hit squad,” military analyst and former Republican Tom Nichols said Monday on MSNBC. Just like with kings and other autocrats: Off with their heads.

    Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a rare maverick Republican, noted on Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that in years past, the Coast Guard would board foreign boats suspected of ferrying drugs and, if contraband were found, take it and suspected traffickers into custody, often gleaning information about higher-ups to make a real dent in the drug trade. But, Paul added, about one in four boats typically had no drugs. No matter nowadays — everyone’s a target for deadly force. “So,” Paul said, “all of these people have been blown up without us knowing their name, without any evidence of a crime.” (Paul was the only Republican senator not invited to lunch with Trump on Monday in the paved-over Rose Garden.)

    On Monday, Ecuador said no evidence connects a citizen who survived a recent U.S. strike to any crime. Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the United States of murdering a fisherman in a September strike, provoking Trump to call Petro a “drug leader” and unilaterally yank U.S. foreign aid. A Venezuelan told the Washington Post that the 11 people killed in the first known U.S. strike were fishermen; national security officials told Congress the individuals were headed back to shore when hit. Meanwhile, the three countries and U.S. news reports contradict Trump’s claims that he’s destroying and seizing fentanyl — a drug that typically comes from Mexico and then is smuggled by land, usually by U.S. citizens.

    Again, no matter to America’s king, who said last week that he’s eyeing land incursions in Venezuela now “because we’ve got the sea very well under control.” Trump’s courtiers say he doesn’t need Congress’ authorization for any use of force. The Constitution suggests otherwise.

    Alas, neither it nor the law limits Trump’s White House makeover. He doesn’t have to submit to Congress because he’s tapping rich individuals and corporations for the cost. Past presidents, mindful that the house is a public treasure, not their palace, voluntarily sought input from various federal and nonprofit groups. After reports about the demolition, which put the lie to Trump’s promise in July that the ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building,” the American Institute of Architects urged its members to ask Congress to “investigate destruction of the White House.”

    Disparate as they are, Trump’s ballroom project and his Caribbean killings were joined last week. At a White House dinner for ballroom donors, Trump joked about the sea strikes: “Nobody wants to go fishing anymore.” The pay-to-play titans laughed. Shame on them.

    Trump acts with impunity because he can; he’s a lame duck. But other Republicans must face the voters. Keep the “No Kings” protests coming — right through the elections this November and next.

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    Jackie Calmes

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  • Demolition company at White House gets taken apart over taking the East Wing job – WTOP News

    Maryland-based construction company ACECO has become a target for online scorn because of its association with the White House demolition work.

    Call ACECO’s Silver Spring, Maryland, office and the recorded message will tell you it’s the “premier demolition contractor in the D.C. metro area.” But that’s not how many on social media see it since the contracting company’s work on the White House’s East Wing started this week.

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    Kate Ryan

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  • Did Trump flip-flop on White House East Wing demolition? Yes

    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.

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  • Ballroom construction paused White House tours for months, but they’re likely to resume soon, officials say

    Public access to the White House has been suspended for about two months because tours started at the East Wing, and the demolition of parts of that wing and construction of the new ballroom have made the visits impossible, officials told CBS News.

    White House officials said that although the tours are still paused, they expect to accommodate an updated tour route in coming days, as well as other public events, such as Halloween trick-or-treating. 

    Members of Congress, who receive White House tour requests from their constituents, told CBS News that bookings were suspended in late August. 

    The tours included public rooms in the East Wing as well as the Vermeil Room, Library, China Room, Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room and State Dining Room in the White House residence. 

    WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 22: The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on October 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. 

    Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images


    A message on the tour website, posted over the summer, says: “The White House Ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House, but at the same time, it’s theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical. The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”

    During construction, first lady Melania Trump’s office has moved to the ground floor of the White House. East Wing staffers’ desks have been set up in the China Room, and aides now gather in the map room.

    Staff from the calligraphy office, White House Military Office, legislative affairs and the visitors office have decamped to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for now. 

    White House Ballroom Construction

    Demolition of a section of the East Wing of the White House, during construction on the new ballroom extension of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. 

    Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg via Getty Images


    The White House Historical Association, a nonprofit organization that aims to protect, preserve and provide public access to the White House, confirmed that it took steps to document the White House East Wing this summer, prior to demolition. The association was founded by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961.

    This week, construction crews began dismantling the White House’s eastern facade to make room for the forthcoming White House ballroom. 

    A spokesperson for the association said it undertook “a comprehensive digital scanning project and photography to create an historic record” of the East Wing and gardens. 

    On Tuesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit chartered by Congress to further the historic preservation policy in the U.S., wrote a letter urging the Trump administration to pause the demolition of the East Wing of the White House until a review of President Trump’s ballroom plans is completed. The letter expressed concern about the size of the ballroom annex — that “the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself.”

    Aaron Navarro

    contributed to this report.

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  • PHOTOS: The White House’s East Wing in history – WTOP News

    7/10

    Liz Carpenter, press secretary and staff director for first lady Lady Bird Johnson, poses for a photo in her office in the East Wing of the White House in D.C., Dec. 9, 1963. On the walls are her Theta Sigma Phi Headliner Award and two photos of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson.
    (AP Photo/Harvey Georges, File)

    Jessica Kronzer

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  • Man taken into custody after driving his car into security gate outside White House, authorities say – WTOP News

    Authorities did not immediately provide any additional information about the crash, the driver’s identity or any potential motivation.

    A vehicle is seen after ramming a security barricade at the White House complex on Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Secret Service reported that one individual was arrested and that the vehicle is now deemed safe. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A man was taken into custody late Tuesday after driving his car into a security barrier outside the White House, authorities said.

    The U. S. Secret Service said the man crashed into the security gate at a White House entrance at 10:37 p.m. on Tuesday. The man was immediately arrested by officers from the Secret Service’s uniformed division, the agency said.

    Investigators searched his car and deemed it to be safe, Secret Service officials said in a statement.

    Authorities did not immediately provide any additional information about the crash, the driver’s identity or any potential motivation.

    Copyright
    © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

    WTOP Staff

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  • Man taken into custody after driving his car into security gate outside White House, authorities say

    Man taken into custody after driving his car into security gate outside White House, authorities say

    Updated: 12:48 AM EDT Oct 22, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    A man was taken into custody late Tuesday after driving his car into a security barrier outside the White House, authorities said.The U. S. Secret Service said the man crashed into the security gate at a White House entrance at 10:37 p.m. on Tuesday. The man was immediately arrested by officers from the Secret Service’s uniformed division, the agency said.Investigators searched his car and deemed it to be safe, Secret Service officials said in a statement.Authorities did not immediately provide any additional information about the crash, the driver’s identity, or any potential motivation.

    WASHINGTON —

    A man was taken into custody late Tuesday after driving his car into a security barrier outside the White House, authorities said.

    The U. S. Secret Service said the man crashed into the security gate at a White House entrance at 10:37 p.m. on Tuesday. The man was immediately arrested by officers from the Secret Service’s uniformed division, the agency said.

    Investigators searched his car and deemed it to be safe, Secret Service officials said in a statement.

    Authorities did not immediately provide any additional information about the crash, the driver’s identity, or any potential motivation.

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  • Historic preservation group fears ballroom annex will overwhelm White House

    The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit chartered by Congress to further the historic preservation policy in the U.S., has written a letter urging the Trump administration to pause the demolition of the East Wing of the White House until a review of President Trump’s ballroom plans is completed. 

    The letter, sent Tuesday and addressed to the National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service and Commission of Fine Arts, voices concern about the size of the ballroom annex — that “the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself.”

    The Trust has no statutory authority to compel the Trump administration to halt construction. 

    “We respectfully urge the Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, and to invite comment from the public,” it says.

    Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on October 21, 2025. 

    DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images


    Last week, the Society of Architectural Historians raised similar concerns about the size of the ballroom and its impact on White House grounds. 

    And in August, a letter from the American Institute of Architects also focused on the ballroom’s size. “The proposed 90,000-square-foot addition raises concerns regarding scale and balance. The design absolutely must harmonize with the White House’s existing architectural proportions.”

    The Society of Architectural Historians and the American Institute of Architects may make recommendations but have no statutory role in the design or construction of the ballroom. 

    The White House has not responded to the concerns raised by the three groups, but in a statement Tuesday made reference to “manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies” who it said “are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House.”

    The statement also said the ballroom would “significantly increase the White House’s capacity to host major functions honoring world leaders, foreign nations, and other dignitaries.”

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  • Trump’s White House Demolition Will Be Televised

    Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing on Monday.
    Photo: Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images

    Since President Trump announced his plan to build a White House ballroom this summer, members of his administration have been making contradictory remarks about what that means for the East Wing.

    In July, Trump promised the project “won’t interfere with the current 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.”

    But that same month, the White House put out a press release that said, “The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.”

    So understandably, people were caught off-guard when they saw a backhoe tearing through the outer façade of the East Wing on October 20.

    The administration’s stance on what we’re supposed to know about this project has been similarly confusing. Trump talks about the ballroom all the time and even alluded to the demolition during an unrelated White House event on Monday, saying, “You know, we’re building right behind us, we’re building a ballroom.”

    However, after images of the White House destruction went viral, the Treasury Department told employees not to share photos of the view from its headquarters, which is next to the East Wing. The Wall Street Journal reported:

    “As construction proceeds on the White House grounds, employees should refrain from taking and sharing photographs of the grounds, to include the East Wing, without prior approval from the Office of Public Affairs,” a Treasury official wrote on Monday evening in an email to department employees viewed by The Wall Street Journal. A Treasury Department spokesman said the email was sent to employees because photos could “potentially reveal sensitive items, including security features or confidential structural details.”

    But images of the East Wing in ruins couldn’t be all that sensitive, since White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a photo himself:

    By Tuesday, Treasury’s apparent attempt to conceal the extent of the White House destruction had backfired completely. Multiple media outlets ran live feeds of the East Wing’s walls crumbling to the ground.

    If anything, the edict only drew more attention to the secrecy around the ballroom project. While the White House has vaguely described the project, detailed architectural plans have not been released. And while federal law says the National Capital Planning Commission must vet even relatively minor construction and renovation projects at the White House, the project has not been submitted to the board.

    That may sound kind of illegal, and indeed experts have alleged that the White House is violating federal law by moving forward with the ballroom project. But Trump-appointed National Capital Planning Commission chair Will Scharf, who is also a top White House aide, recently claimed the board only has jurisdiction over construction at federal buildings, not destruction.

    And, according to Cheung, people who care about destroying the “People’s House” without any oversight are all “losers” anyway:

    Previous presidents must be surprised to learn that Team Trump would have been totally cool with them bulldozing huge sections of the White House!


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    Margaret Hartmann

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  • Virginia Giuffre’s Estate Hearing Follows Shocking Memoir Release

    Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir was published in the wake of a new court filing regarding an upcoming hearing on her estate

    In a posthumous memoir titled “Nobody’s  Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice”, late Jeffrey Epstein trafficking survivor Virginia  Roberts  Giuffre recounts her terrifying years of exploitation. This includes allegations of brutal sexual abuse at the hands of a “well-known prime minister” and revisiting Prince  Andrew’s role in the network of Jeffrey  Epstein and Ghislaine  Maxwell. The memoir, released October 21, 2025, has sparked further outrage to encourage the White House to release all of the “Epstein files.” Guiffre was said to have written the memoir the year before her death (she took her own life in April of 2025).

    According to Giuffre, she was brutally assaulted in 2002 on Epstein’s private island, Little St. Jeff’s, by the man she refers to only as the “Prime Minister,” as she feared directly naming him. She details being “choked until unconscious” and experiencing heavy “bleeding from her mouth, vagina and anus.” Giuffre cites this attack as the final straw to break free from Epstein’s grasp.

    The memoir also reconfirms allegations that Prince Andrew had sex with Giuffre on at least three occasions when she was a minor, claims he has long denied. The memoir also alleges that his legal team deployed internet trolls to harass her during her 2021 civil suit as a form of intimidation. Guiffre describes being genuinely terrified of what could happen to her, knowing the fate of Princess Diana.

    Giuffre also goes into sordid, detailed descriptions of how Epstein and Maxwell manipulated and trafficked her to powerful men, including a specific United States Senator and a well-known US Governor (again, that she declines to name). She also recounts being forced to consider carrying Epstein and Maxwell’s child (they allegedly begged her), but would be forced to relinquish all rights to the child.

    The release of Giuffre’s memoir comes on the heels of an October 20, 2025, status filing in the federal defamation case of Rina Oh Amen against Virginia Giuffre from 2021 (Amen sued Giuffre for alleging that she was an Epstein co-conspirator who took part in Giuffre’s abuse, demanding $20 million in damages to restore her name). Giuffre’s lawyer Kathleen Thomas wanted the judge to know that since Giuffre passed away, there’s now a process underway to handle her estate. A hearing to appoint someone to temporarily manage Giuffre’s estate, an interim administrator, is scheduled for November 25, 2025. This status update comes after Thomas previously submitted a motion to dismiss the defamation suit, citing Guiffre’s untimely death. The judge denied the request and decided that nothing can happen until someone is officially appointed to handle the estate, and the dismissal can be refiled later.

    /

    Virginia Guiffre dedicated her book to “my Survivor Sisters and to anyone who has suffered sexual abuse.”

    Lauren Conlin

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  • How the Trump Administration Press Strategy of Trolling Journalists Could Backfire

    On Monday, Lawfare’s Anna Bower reported on a stunning Signal exchange she had with Lindsey Halligan, the loyalist lawyer whom Donald Trump installed as interim United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia with an explicit mission to go after his political foes. Halligan—who had no experience as a prosecutor before she brought an indictment against James Comey days after being sworn in—had initiated a correspondence with Bower over the secure messaging app just to browbeat the editor over her “way off” and “biased” reporting. That “reporting,” as it were, was actually a tweet summarizing parts of a New York Times story (with screenshots included) about the case Halligan had brought against New York attorney general Letitia James.

    Bower asked what, exactly, she had gotten wrong. Halligan wouldn’t say, and eventually went quiet—until Bower sought comment from the Justice Department on the extraordinary matter of a US attorney discussing an active case with a member of the press. That’s when Halligan went into cleanup mode.

    “By the way—everything I ever sent you is off record,” Halligan texted. “You’re not a journalist so it’s weird saying that but just letting you know.”

    “I’m sorry, but that’s not how this works,” Bower replied. “You don’t get to say that in retrospect.”

    “Yes I do,” Halligan shot back. “Off record.”

    A first-year journalism student, let alone a DOJ attorney, would surely know the rules governing on- and off-record conversations between reporters and sources. (That student would also understand that “off the record” is a privilege granted by mutual agreement between a source and a journalist, rather than some sort of binding contract.) So it’s fair to assume that Halligan wasn’t actually misinformed, but was instead seeking to intimidate Bower into backing off—a media strategy White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also recently tried to deploy against HuffPost’s S.V. Dáte, who had the temerity to ask her a question about Trump’s planned meeting with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin in Budapest.

    Given the city’s significance as the site where Ukraine agreed to give up nuclear weapons if Russia respected its territory, Dáte asked, “Who suggested Budapest?”

    “Your mom did,” Leavitt texted back, in an exchange the press secretary then proudly posted on social media while denouncing Dáte as a “left-wing hack.”

    Eric Lutz

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  • Hillary Clinton fires up voters against Trump’s White House ballroom construction: ‘Not his house”

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    Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it known she is no fan of President Donald Trump’s project to construct a ballroom at the White House in an appeal to voters that 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is their “house.”

    “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” Clinton wrote on X on Tuesday morning. 

    The social media post included a screenshot of The Washington Post’s report, “White House begins demolishing East Wing Facade to build Trump’s ballroom,” accompanied by a photo of a demolition crew. 

    “President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense. These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox Digital when asked about Clinton’s post and other Democrats criticizing the ballroom construction. 

    TRUMP BREAKS GROUND ON MASSIVE WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT WITH PRIVATE FUNDING FROM ‘PATRIOTS’

    Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton slammed President Donald Trump’s construction project at the White House to build a ballroom.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

    Trump announced Monday that construction had begun on the ballroom, following months of the president floating the planned project to modernize the White House. The project does not cost taxpayers and is privately funded, the White House reported. 

    “I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!” 

    “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!” he continued. “The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!”

    White House demolition for new ballroom

    The White House has started tearing down part of the East Wing to build the ballroom President Donald Trump wants added to the building. Demolition started Monday. (The Associated Press)

    The privately-funded project will cost an estimated $200 million, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in July. The 90,000-square-foot ballroom will accommodate approximately 650 seated guests, according to the White House. 

    “The White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders in other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building’s entrance,” Leavitt said back in July, adding the new ballroom will be “a much needed and exquisite addition.”

    FETTERMAN DEFENDS TRUMP’S ‘TASTEFUL’ $200M WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM MAKEOVER AMID DEM CRITICISM

    Other Democrats have also slammed the construction project, including New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim calling it “disgusting.”

    Donald Trump smiles in a navy suit and red tie

    President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Evan Vucci/AP)

    “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,” Kim posted to X on Monday. 

    White House flag

    Trump first announced he would have two massive flag poles installed on the White House  (Getty Images)

    “Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted to X on Monday. 

    CHICAGO RESIDENTS CALL OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER A ‘MONSTROSITY,’ FEAR THEY’LL BE DISPLACED: REPORT

    Trump rose garden

    Tables and chairs in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. Trump ordered updates to the Rose Garden in March.  (Getty Images)

    “Republican math. Can afford: Trump ballroom, $40 Billion Argentina bailout, massive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires Can’t afford: health care for Americans, SNAP for struggling Americans, tax relief for middle class families,” Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta posted to X. 

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    The ballroom construction follows Trump installing two massive 88-foot-tall American flags on either side of the White House this summer in a patriotic endeavor that did not cost U.S. taxpayers a cent, as well as an overhaul to the White House Rose Garden. 

    Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this article. 

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  • Trump immigration policies would slash workforce estimate by 15.7 million and slow GDP growth by a third over the next decade, study says | Fortune

    The U.S. immigration crackdown will cause net job losses in the millions and will lower the annual rate of economic growth by almost one-third over the next decade, a new study estimates.

    The Trump administration’s policies aimed at legal and illegal immigration would reduce the projected number of workers by 6.8 million by 2028 and 15.7 million by 2035, the National Foundation for American Policy’s study released Friday found. People entering the workforce won’t fully make up for the job losses, leading to a net reduction in the labor force by a projected 4 million workers by 2028 and 11 million in 2035. 

    “With the U.S.-born population aging and growing at a slower rate, immigrants have become an essential part of American labor force growth,” the think tank, which focuses on trade and immigration, said.

    In fact, immigrant workers were responsible for 84.7% of the labor force growth in America between 2019 and 2024, according to the report. 

    The study takes into account many of Trump’s far-reaching immigration policies for those eligible to work in the country, including reducing and suspending refugee admissions, a travel ban on 19 countries, ending Temporary Protected Status, and prohibiting international students from working on Optional Practical Training and STEM OPT after completing their coursework. The analysis does not account for a new policy that requires U.S. companies to shell out $100,000 in one-time fees for new H-1B visas.

    Labor reduction

    Trump’s immigration crackdown is already having an impact on the labor force.

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics household survey shows a decline of 1.1 million foreign-born workers since the start of the Trump administration in January through August, according to the report.

    And of the 6.8 million fewer projected workers in the U.S. labor force by 2028, 2.8 million would be due to changes in legal immigration policies, while 4 million would result from policies on illegal immigration, the study said

    At the same time, it doesn’t look as though U.S.-born workers are entering the workforce en masse as foreign-born workers exit, the report said. Instead, the labor force participation rate for U.S.-born workers aged 16 and older has ticked lower to 61.6% in August from 61.7% last year, according to the report.

    Labor economist and senior fellow at NFAP Mark Regets, said in the report it’s “wrong” to assume a decline in immigration helps U.S. workers when job growth slows.

    “Immigrants both create demand for the goods and services produced by U.S.-born workers and work alongside them in ways that increase productivity for both groups,” Regrets said. “While it is just one factor, we shouldn’t be surprised that opportunities for U.S.-born workers are falling at the same time an estimated one million fewer immigrants may be in the labor force.”

    But the White House says there’s a large pool of available U.S.-born workers.

    “Over one in ten young adults in America are neither employed, in higher education, nor pursuing some sort of vocational training.” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fortune in a statement, referencing a July 2024 CNBC article. “There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trump’s agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this Administration’s commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential while delivering on our mandate to enforce our immigration laws.”

    Economic fallout

    Previous reports have warned Trumps’ immigration policies also threaten negative economic consequences.

    In September, the Congressional Budget Office projected 290,000 immigrants will be removed from the country between 2026 and 2029, which may create a labor shortage and drive up inflation.

    And according to the NFAP study, Trump’s immigration policies will lower the projected average annual economic growth rate to 1.3% from 1.8% between fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2035. 

    There are also ramifications for the agriculture industry and food production. The Labor Department admitted earlier this month in a filing in the Federal Register that Trump’s immigration crackdown risked a “labor shortage exacerbated by the near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens.”

    That’s not the only sector feeling the talent squeeze.

    The $100,000 one-time fee for workers applying for new H-1B visas is expected to disrupt companies including Amazon, Microsoft and Meta, since they heavily recruit workers under this status. 

    And the policies are projected to have far-ranging effects on most areas of business, including a potential loss of hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers in sectors like information and educational and health services.

    In addition, individuals affected by Trump’s travel ban on 19 different countries represent a significant part of the economy, the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit research organization and advocacy group, has estimated.

    Households led by the recent arrivals from the countries earned $3.2 billion in household income, paid $715.6 million in federal, state and local taxes and held $2.5 billion in spending power, according to AIC.

    “These nationals made important contributions in U.S. industries that are facing labor shortages and rely on foreign-born workers,” like hospitality, construction, retail trade and manufacturing, the report said.

    But the White House said Trump will continue “growing our economy, creating opportunity for American workers, and ensuring all sectors have the workforce they need to be successful.”

    Nan Wu, research director at AIC told Fortune the recent NFAP study may not even fully capture the broader impact of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. 

    “Given the unprecedented scale of these actions, it’s difficult to quantify the chilling effect they may have on immigrants who might otherwise choose to move to or remain in the United States,” Wu said. “For instance, international students—who are a critical source of high-skilled talent—may increasingly opt to pursue education or career opportunities in other countries. This shift could significantly disrupt the U.S. talent pipeline, particularly in sectors that rely heavily on STEM expertise and innovation.”

    Nino Paoli

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  • The Republicans who denounce Trump nominee Ingrassia after leaked texts

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Monday he hopes the White House withdraws Paul Ingrassia’s nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel, following Politico’s reporting on racist and antisemitic text messages Ingrassia exchanged with Republican operatives.

    “He’s not gonna pass,” Thune told reporters.

    At least three other Senate Republicans have publicly declared opposition to the confirmation of Ingrassia, a nominee of President Donald Trump: Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Lankford of Oklahoma. Ingrassia remains scheduled to testify Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

    Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Monday for comment.

    Why It Matters

    The swift Republican defection represents a significant political rupture within GOP ranks over the Trump administration’s selection. Under Senate rules, Ingrassia, White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, can lose only three Republican votes before requiring Vice President JD Vance to cast a tiebreaker, assuming unanimous Democratic opposition.

    With four Republicans now signaling opposition or skepticism, the nomination could face mathematical elimination. GOP senators have already expressed concerns about his background, experience and alleged antisemitism, with one senator delaying Ingrassia’s nomination hearing in July, citing concerns of hostility toward Jews.

    “This big thing for our state is, he’s had some statements about antisemitism,” Scott said in a July interview with Politico about Ingrassia.

    The report about the text messages of Ingrassia, 30, also comes just one week after a number of Young Republicans were implicated in a scandal over racist, antisemitic and misogynistic comments in leaked chat messages.

    What To Know

    Politico reported Monday on a text chat that showed Ingrassia saying that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and that he has “a Nazi streak.”

    Edward Andrew Paltzik, attorney for Ingrassia, did not confirm the texts were authentic and said they “could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted,” according to the report.

    Scott, Johnson and Lankford are all members of the Senate Homeland committee and will have a chance to question Ingrassia Thursday—if Ingrassia’s confirmation hearing proceeds as planned. The senators’ opposition comes amid broader concerns about Ingrassia’s background.

    Earlier this month, Politico separately reported that Ingrassia was investigated over a sexual harassment allegation involving a lower-ranking colleague. The peer filed a complaint against him before retracting it.

    A spokesperson for Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, chair of the Senate Homeland panel, referred questions to the White House about what would come next for the nominee. But Paul told Semafor Monday evening that Ingrassia remained on the witness list and indicated the next move would be up to the White House.

    What People Are Saying

    Paltzik added: “Even if the texts are authentic, they clearly read as self-deprecating and satirical humor making fun of the fact that liberals outlandishly and routinely call MAGA supporters ‘Nazis.’ In reality, Mr. Ingrassia has incredible support from the Jewish community because Jews know that Mr. Ingrassia is the furthest thing from a Nazi.

    “In this age of AI, authentication of allegedly leaked messages, which could be outright falsehoods, doctored, or manipulated, or lacking critical context, is extremely difficult.”

    Scott, to reporters on Monday: “I’m not supporting him. I can’t imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. It’s wrong.”

    Lankford, also to reporters on Monday: “I have tons of questions for him,” adding that he “can’t imagine supporting that.”

    Paul also told Semafor on Monday: “They have to decide if he can go through. I’ve told them to count the votes … the White House needs to make a decision. I’m leaving it up to them.”

    What Happens Next?

    Ingrassia’s Senate confirmation hearing is still scheduled for Thursday, where he will likely face intense questioning about the text messages and the allegations of antisemitism and sexual harassment.

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  • Karine Jean-Pierre insists it’s ‘not true’ Biden spoke ‘way less’ to the press than Trump

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    Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sparred with The Bulwark’s Tim Miller over former President Joe Biden’s interactions with the press on Monday.

    Jean-Pierre appeared on “The Bulwark” podcast to promote her new memoir “Independent,” which focuses on her time in the Biden administration. During the podcast, Miller criticized Biden as a poor communicator and asked her whether she ever spoke to him about his age.

    Jean-Pierre said she never spoke to Biden about his age but argued that Biden communicated his ideas well “whether it broke through or not.”

    KARINE JEAN-PIERRE WRITES SHE COULDN’T ‘STOMACH’ BEING A DEMOCRAT ANYMORE AFTER PARTY’S TREATMENT OF BIDEN

    Karine Jean-Pierre (left) claimed former President Joe Biden (right) was a good communicator regardless of whether the message “broke through” or not. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

    “He talked way less to the press than Donald Trump does,” Miller pushed back. “Way less. And he wasn’t out there at all. He wasn’t good off the cuff. He wasn’t doing press conferences. Let’s just be real. Like, he didn’t do events.”

    “But Tim, that’s not true,” Jean-Pierre interrupted. “Tim, you’re conflating all of it. That’s what you’re…no, you’re…first you’re telling me he didn’t talk well about it. Then you’re telling me he didn’t talk at all.”

    “He didn’t do either. He didn’t talk very often and when he did it wasn’t very good. He sounded very old and feeble,” Miller argued.

    FLASHBACK: KARINE JEAN-PIERRE DECLARED THERE IS ‘NO COVER-UP’ OF BIDEN’S HEALTH AFTER HE DROPPED OUT OF RACE

    White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing

    Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly defended President Joe Biden’s mental acuity as White House press secretary. (Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images)

    Jean-Pierre claimed that Miller wasn’t “paying attention” and insisted that Biden frequently spoke to the public.

    “The president spoke to the American people a couple times a week. He traveled and did domestic travel and talked directly to the American people. We are talking about a time politically that is incredibly partisan. It is hard to break through any messaging, and it was an incumbency as well,” Jean-Pierre said.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

    Earlier that day, Jean-Pierre defended Biden’s mental acuity on “CBS Mornings,” despite several behind-the-scenes reports about the former president’s decline in health while in office.

    Karine Jean-Pierre

    Karine Jean-Pierre speaks to members of the media during the daily press briefing with Council Of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein in the James S. Brady White House Briefing Room on Sept. 19, 2024 in Washington, DC.  (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

    “I saw someone who was always engaged. I saw someone who understood policy, pushed us on the policy, and also understood history,” Jean-Pierre said.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    As press secretary, Jean-Pierre repeatedly defended Biden’s mental health, even after his disastrous June 2024 presidential debate.

    Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.

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  • White House Starts Demolition on East Wing for Trump’s New Ballroom—Despite Promises That Construction Wouldn’t Interfere With Existing Structure

    The government may be in the middle of a shutdown, but that hasn’t stopped work at the White House—construction work.

    Demolition crews moved in on Monday to begin knocking down part of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

    Tearing down the East Wing marks the start of President Donald Trump‘s $200 million ballroom project, but he originally claimed it wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing structure.

    Now, a portion of the East Wing has been demolished by heavy machinery brought in to start on the proposed ballroom. The backhoe ripped through the structure in which, according to the Washington Post, the “sounds of construction were audible on the White House campus.”

    Everyone from the Secret Service to people at the Treasury Department stopped to watch the construction, according to the outlet.

    When it was announced in July that a new ballroom would be built, the president implied that construction would not affect the existing White House.

    Heavy machinery was brought in to begin demolition of the old East Wing ballroom.Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images
    The teardown comes as President Donald Trump had said he wouldn’t touch the existing structure.Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images
    The new ballroom is being funded by Trump and private donors.Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images

    “President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail,” Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, said back in July. “The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come.” 

    A White House announcement said that the ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House. Still, at the same time, its theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical.

    The site of the new ballroom will be where the reconstructed East Wing currently sits. The East Wing was built in 1902 and has been renovated and changed many times—with a second story added in 1942.

    The new ballroom addition is about 90,000 square feet. Trump said the ballroom would be able to hold 999 people. Currently, only 200 people are allowed at the White House event space in the East Wing.

    Ballroom plans

    A rendering of the White House BallroomMcCrery Architects PLLC/The White House
    Map showing where the ballroom expansion will be in the East Wing of the White HouseRealtor.com/Google Earth

    The president hosted a White House dinner for donors last week where he gave guests a ballroom plans update. Trump, along with private donors, are funding the ballroom project.

    The president said the East Room is the largest area in the White House and described the future space as “phenomenal” and “one of the best anywhere in the world.”

    He also described the new ballroom as having four sides of “bulletproof” glass that is “totally appropriate in color and in window shape.”

    Historical construction

    Construction at the historical home has been ongoing since Trump took office.

    Trump decided to give the  Rose Garden a redesign much to the dismay of critics who did not want an overhaul of the space that was installed in 1913 by first lady Ellen Louise Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson.

    The grassy space was one of the White House’s most iconic areas made famous by the rose bushes that lined the landscaped lawn.

    The Rose Garden’s grassy space was paved over to make it safer and more convenient for people attending events—especially women wearing high heels.

    Separate from the White House, the president revealed last week that he wants to build a new monument—an Arc de Triomphe-style arch near the Lincoln Memorial.

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    Joy Dumandan is an Emmy-winning journalist who is the news editor at Realtor.com. Previously, she was the consumer editor at The U.S. Sun. Joy spent a majority of her career as a broadcast journalist. At Boston 25 News, she covered major news stories, including the college admissions scandal, presidential elections, and deadly severe weather. While at WISH-TV in Indianapolis, Joy was the morning anchor and reported live on location at events like the Super Bowl, the Indianapolis 500, and NCAA March Madness.

    Joy Dumandan

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  • The White House starts demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump’s ballroom

    By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Donald Trump’s ballroom despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees such projects.

    The Associated Press

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  • White House begins demolition of part of East Wing for Trump’s ballroom

    Washington — Demolition on the White House’s East Wing has begun, although President Trump previously said his ballroom addition to the White House wouldn’t “interfere” with the building’s existing structure.  

    The Washington Post first reported on the demolition and published an image of the work. And on Monday, a pool reporter captured video of part of the East Wing being torn down. 

    During an event Monday with the Louisiana State University baseball team at the White House, the president remarked on the construction, which he said “just started today.” 

    “You know we’re building — right behind us — we’re building a ballroom,” Mr. Trump said during the celebration of the 2024 NCAA champions in the White House East Room. He pointed out, “Right on the other side, you have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically.”

    Heavy machinery tears down a section of the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, on October 20, 2025. 

    PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images


    The president told reporters in September that construction had begun, though at the time, no part of the White House building had been demolished.

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a social media post by Mr. Trump Monday announcing that “ground has been broken” for the “new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom.”

    “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.,” Mr. Trump said in the post. “I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!”

    The East Wing of the White House is fairly small and is where the first lady’s office and staff are located.

    “It won’t interfere with the current building,” the president said in July. “It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”

    The White House says the project, which will cost $250 million, has been fully funded by private contributions from business and big tech, including Apple, Microsoft and Coinbase. Earlier this month, ballroom donors dined at the White House with Mr. Trump. 

    By September, a number of companies had pledged to donate $5 million or more for the addition, multiple sources familiar with the matter said. 

    The addition was originally planned to be 90,000 square feet, but that figure is likely to increase. The ballroom, which will be used for events that on occasion will include heads of state, is intended to hold 999 people, up from an initial estimate of 650. Mr. Trump said it will have bulletproof glass windows on all sides. 

    CBS News previously obtained renderings of the ballroom. 

    Rendering of the White House State Ballroom

    Rendering of the White House State Ballroom exterior

    White House ballroom interior

    Rendering of the White House State Ballroom interior

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