WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that the White House's iconic East Wing is being completely demolished to make way for a vast, new $300 million ballroom a project far more extensive and destructive than the administration had previously announced.
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| A model of the planned expansion of the White House is seen during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office (Jim WATSON) |
The president’s confirmation came as shocking images circulated showing a large mechanical excavator actively ripping through the historic facade of the building, leaving a tangle of broken masonry, rubble, and twisted steel wires where the First Lady's offices traditionally stood.
Speaking to reporters at an Oval Office event alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump was asked about the dramatic construction. He stated that after consulting with architects, he decided that "really knocking it down" was a better and simpler option than pursuing a partial demolition.
The East Wing, while less famous than the president's West Wing, is a critical component of the White House complex. It is physically joined to the main Executive Mansion by a covered colonnade and has served for decades as the administrative center for the First Lady and her staff.
A $300M Vision for a New Venue
President Trump defended the demolition by insisting the White House needs a modern venue capable of hosting large-scale events. He said the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom, designed with a capacity for 1,000 people, is essential for state dinners and other major functions that, he noted, currently "have to be held in a tent" on the South Lawn.
The president's comments on Wednesday also revealed a significant jump in the project's price tag. He stated the cost was $300 million, a $50 million increase from the $250 million figure quoted by White House officials just days ago.
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| Construction crews begin tearing down sections of the East Wing as part of a $250 million White House ballroom project. |
In his remarks, the president also attempted to distance the project from the main residence, claiming the East Wing is "completely separate from the White House itself," a statement that is factually incorrect.
Preservationists 'Deeply Concerned' Over Lack of Transparency
The "facelift," now revealed to be a total teardown, has drawn immediate and fierce criticism from historic preservation groups and watchdogs, who have decried a profound lack of transparency and a failure to engage in any advance public consultation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a leading advocacy group, sent an alarmed letter to the Trump administration on Tuesday, formally objecting to the project's scale and secrecy.
"We are deeply concerned that the massing and height of the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself," the Trust's letter stated.
The group highlighted the alarming discrepancy in scale: the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom will be vastly larger than the 55,000-square-foot Executive Mansion it is attached to.
The Trust warned that the massive addition "may also permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House with its two smaller, and lower, East and West Wings," forever altering the architectural integrity of the nation's most historic home.
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