The president previously said that construction for his $250 million ballroom would not “interfere” with the people’s house.

Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Magazine editors have relied on the image of Donald Trump taking a wrecking ball to the executive branch as an easy metaphor for years now. But the destruction began for real on Monday as the president commenced his makeover of the White House East Wing to add a grand $250 million ballroom.

The Washington Post first reported that a backhoe was tearing through the outer façade of the East Wing, which has historically served as the office for the First Lady. Though their photo looks like the the excavator is tearing into the wing dating back to 1902, a White House official confirmed with the Post that efforts to preserve the building’s historical aspects began weeks ago.

Demolition crews have begun tearing down part of the White House to build President Trump’s long-desired ballroom — despite his pledge that construction of the $250 million addition wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing building. https://t.co/gdi8H3VWuf pic.twitter.com/XnmWKVOQzr

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 20, 2025

In July, President Trump promised that his ballroom project would not “interfere” with the “current” White House. “It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.”

The ballroom is expected to hold 650 people and “is expected to be completed long before the end of President Trump’s term,” according to a White House press release announcing the project. Mock-ups of the building suggest a lot of chandeliers and gold — similar to the loud flair that the president has already brought to his White House renovations. (The president’s other large renovation so far has been the White House Rose Garden, which he basically just paved over.)

“There’s never been a president that was good at ballrooms,” Trump said in July. “I’m really good.”

Related

Trump Admits He’s Building ‘Arc de Trump’ for ‘Me’

From Intelligencer - Daily News, Politics, Business, and Tech via this RSS feed