President Trump confirmed on Wednesday that the East Wing of the White House is being torn down to make room for a large new ballroom he has planned for the presidential complex.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office with architectural renderings displayed beside him, Trump explained that the project required the removal of the existing structure. “In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” he said.
His remarks followed viral footage shared online earlier in the week showing cranes and construction crews beginning to dismantle the East Wing, prompting speculation about the scope of the renovation.
When the project was first announced in July, Trump had said that the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom would not interfere with the current White House building. At the time, he described it as “near it, but not touching it,” and said the design would “show total respect for the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.” White House officials also assured the public that the ballroom would remain “substantially separated from the main structure.”
However, Trump acknowledged this week that after further consultation with architects, the administration decided that demolishing the East Wing was necessary to complete the project as envisioned. The decision marks a significant shift from earlier plans and underscores the scale of the undertaking, which the president has described as part of a broader effort to “modernize and beautify” the White House grounds.