White House demolition begins on East Wing to make way for Trump’s $250 million ballroom

WASHINGTON - The White House on Monday began demolishing part of the East Wing, the traditional home to the first lady’s offices, to make way for President Donald Trump’s proposed $250 million ballroom despite not having construction approval from the federal agency that oversees such projects.

Dramatic photos captured construction equipment ripping into the East Wing facade, with shattered windows and debris strewn across the grounds. Some looked on from a nearby park beside the Treasury Department, which sits next to the East Wing.

White House demolition begins

Trump announced the start of construction in a social media post and mentioned it while hosting the 2025 college baseball champions Louisiana State University and LSU-Shreveport in the East Room. He said the work was happening "right behind us."

"We have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically," he said, adding, "It just started today."

The White House is moving forward with the massive construction project without formal approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees major renovations to federal buildings in the Washington area.

Commission Chairman Will Scharf, who also serves as White House staff secretary and a top Trump aide, said at the agency’s September meeting that it has no jurisdiction over demolition or site prep on federal property.

"What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build," he said last month.

Ballroom plans unclear

It remains unclear whether the White House has submitted its ballroom plans for review. 

The Associated Press reported that officials did not respond to requests for comment, and the planning commission’s offices are currently closed due to the government shutdown.

Trump said in July, when announcing the project, that the ballroom would not interfere with the White House mansion itself.

"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 said of the White House, according to the AP.

The East Wing, home to several offices including those of the first lady, was built in 1902 and expanded with a second story in 1942, according to the White House.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said East Wing offices will be temporarily relocated during construction, and the wing will undergo modernization and renovation.

"Nothing will be torn down," Leavitt said when she announced the project over the summer.

Trump says presidents have wanted a formal ballroom for 150 years and said the East Room, currently the largest space in the White House with room for about 200 guests, is too small. 

He’s adding the 90,000-square-foot, glass-walled venue to host dignitaries indoors, saying he dislikes using outdoor pavilions on the South Lawn for high level events.

In his social media announcement, Trump said the ballroom would be built "with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly."

The ballroom will be the largest structural change to the Executive Mansion since the Truman Balcony was added in 1948. It will be so large, it will even dwarf the residence itself.

At a dinner last week with wealthy business executives helping fund the $250 million project, Trump said the ballroom’s capacity had expanded to 999 guests.

The White House has pledged to release the names of donors funding the ballroom, but hasn’t done so yet.