There have been many renovations of the White House made by many presidents. Harry Truman rebuilt the White House due to poor maintenance and the collapsing of floors, Nixon added a bowling alley, and Obama modified the tennis court to turn into a basketball court. Donald Trump has decided to demolish the East Wing, which has long been well-known as the home of the White House headquarters for the First Lady. Instead, Trump has started construction of a ballroom. The ballroom has an estimated cost of around 250 million dollars, which he stated would be privately funded. Corporations such as Apple and Microsoft have helped fund the ballroom. This follows tax breaks given by the president, which some have criticized as quid pro quo corruption. A recent Yahoo poll found that 58% of respondents disapproved of the demolition of the East Wing, while only 26% approved of the new construction. This poll includes both republicans and democrats.
The public was notified of the demolition on October 20th. The proposal is met with a 55,000 square foot ballroom, smaller than the residence. The architects dispatched are 6 loyalists to Trump; they reportedly have asked to stay anonymous. Others argue that the ballroom was a move that needed to be performed. From an article in the New York Times, Ross Douthat, an opinion columnist, states, “The general design of the Trump ballroom — if you look at the actual sketches, not the social-media caricatures — is perfectly in keeping with the character of the White House complex.” The ballroom’s design will remain the same as the rest of the complex. The US is just behind a bunch of other countries, the UK, France, and Italy, all of which are allies that utilize a ballroom for prestige or state dinners.
The new ballroom will help invite other foreign leaders to our country. The ballroom will not touch any of the existing structures around the complex. When asked about it, Trump had this to say: “It won’t interfere with the current building. It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it – and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” Trump said in July. “It’s my favourite place. I love it.” The White House demolition marks a key point in US history, as Trump has established a new precedent with his aggressive changes to the buildings and grounds.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/26/politics/white-house-east-wing-history
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/opinion/trump-white-house-demolition-ballroom.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ced6np51532o`
