‘Entirety’ of East Wing to be ‘modernized’ to build Trump ballroom: White House official
Demolition continued Wednesday at the White House to make way for President Donald Trump’s $250 million ballroom, but the renovation is far more extensive than he has let on.
While Trump had said back in July that the ballroom would not “interfere” with the existing building — would be “near it but not touching it” — a White House official confirmed to ABC News that the “entirety of the East Wing will be modernized.”
The extent of the demolition was first reported by The Washington Post, which published new photographs on Tuesday showing bulldozers razing most of the East Wing — what had been home to the first lady’s office, the White House military office and more.
A higher, seven-foot fence was visible Wednesday around the East Wing site, helping to block the demolition from public view.
Work continues on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
A White House official said the East Wing was being “modernized” from its 1902 and 1942 constructions to support the ballroom project and the future home of the East Wing. The scope and size of the project, the official said, has always been subject to change as the process developed.
The Office of the First Lady and other East Wing components have been relocated on the White House complex within the White House and Eisenhower Executive Office Building, according to a White House official.
Trump has long wanted to build a ballroom at the White House akin to that at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Mock-ups for the 90,000-square foot ballroom were unveiled this summer, and Trump said the build would be paid for by him and unidentified donors. The administration has said little since about who exactly is funding the project, sparking ethical and legal questions.
Trump indicated earlier this week that once the project is done, people would be able to walk directly from the White House East Room into the ballroom, suggesting the construction will touch the actual White House — something Trump himself had previously said would not happen.
A window dangles from the East Wing as work continues on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
The construction this week kicked off a torrent of criticism.
Former first lady Hillary Clinton weighed in on Tuesday, writing on X that Trump is “destroying” the White House.
“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” Clinton wrote.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation sent a letter to White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf, whom Trump also appointed to head the National Capital Planning Commission, an executive branch agency that provides planning guidance and reviews development proposals, voicing concerns about the demolition and ballroom plan, calling for a pause.
The White House East Wing Remodeling
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“While the National Trust acknowledges the utility of a larger meeting space at the White House, we are deeply concerned that the massing and height of the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself — it is 55,000 square feet — and may also permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House with its two smaller, and lower, East and West Wings,” wrote Dr. Carol Quillen, the trust’s president.
The nonprofit organization urged the administration “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.”
Plans for the ballroom have not yet been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, despite demolition being already underway. White House official confirmed to ABC News that the White House still intends to submit plans for the build to the commission.
Crews demolish the East Wing of the White House as construction begins on President Trump’s White House ballroom, in Washington, October 22, 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/EPA/Shutterstock
The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews, October 22, 2025 in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The White House on Tuesday defended the renovations and the construction of the new ballroom in a lengthy press release stating the project is “a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, appearing on Fox News “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Tuesday, called the backlash “fake outrage” and said presidents past have also made changes to the White House.
“He is the builder-in-chief, in large part he was elected back to this People’s House because he is good at building things. He has done it his entire life, his entire career,” Leavitt said. “And construction is a process. At the end, the East Wing which is an entirely separate structure from the Executive Mansion you see behind me, will be more modern and beautiful than ever. And then on top of that, the White House is going to have a big, beautiful ballroom for generations of Americans to come.”
But according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department (located next to the renovation site) has instructed employees not to share photos of the demolition.
Trump, hosting Senate Republicans for lunch on Tuesday at his newly-renovated Rose Garden Club, celebrated the ballroom build.
“You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction in the back. You hear that? Oh, that’s music to my ears,” Trump said. “I love that sound. Other people don’t like it, I love it.”
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
