U.S. President Donald Trump — long known as a political wrecking ball — has now turned that reputation literal, as demolition work began this week on part of the White House’s East Wing to make way for a massive new ballroom.
Construction crews were seen tearing through the East Wing’s facade on Monday, leaving piles of rubble and twisted steel in what Trump described as “the start of something truly beautiful.”
Speaking to visiting college baseball players, the 79-year-old former property mogul said, “Right on the other side, you might hear a little construction — that’s history in the making.”
Trump later announced on Truth Social that work had officially begun on a $250 million, 90,000-square-foot “White House Ballroom,” designed to host up to 1,000 guests for state dinners and major events.
“I’m proud to say the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom is under construction,” Trump said. “The East Wing will be fully modernized and more beautiful than ever.”
Traditionally the office of U.S. First Ladies, the East Wing is physically connected to the main mansion by a covered colonnade. Trump insists the addition — privately funded by “generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and yours truly” — will serve the nation “for generations to come.”
Among the donors who attended a recent dinner at the White House were executives from tech giants like Apple, Meta, Google, and defense contractor Lockheed Martin, alongside crypto entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
The ballroom is the centerpiece of Trump’s sweeping White House makeover, which has already seen the Oval Office gilded in gold and the Rose Garden replaced with paved stone.
Trump has also teased another grand project — a towering triumphal arch in Washington, already nicknamed the “Arc de Trump.”
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