East Wing Demolition Begins Amid Controversy

Demolition crews began tearing down the White House East Wing this week to make way for a privately funded, roughly $300 million presidential ballroom the administration says will modernize capacity for state events. The administration says the project has been reviewed with architects and the military and that plans will be submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission. President Trump defended the work as "a necessary and beautiful transformation," saying offices used by the first lady and senior staff were removed. The White House published a revamped "About the White House" timeline that inserts partisan digs at past presidents — citing the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, President Obama’s 2012 meeting with Mohamed Morsi, the 2023 West Wing cocaine discovery and references to Hunter Biden and transgender events — and Communications Director Steven Cheung appeared to confirm the changes were meant to troll critics. Preservationists and Democratic critics have vocally opposed the demolition as unnecessary and harmful to historic fabric, while top House Republicans including Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Steve Scalise and Sen. Josh Hawley have defended the renovation. Reporters and lawmakers have also raised questions about cost and reimbursements, including references to a potential $230 million reimbursement issue, as the project proceeds under public scrutiny and planning review.