President Donald Trump has completed the demolition of the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The demolition, which began October 20, was completed by October 23, ahead of the originally projected weekend timeline. Initially, Trump assured that the ballroom construction “won’t interfere with the current building” and would be built “close to it but not in contact.”
However, by Wednesday, Trump acknowledged the scope had changed dramatically, stating “to execute it correctly, we must dismantle the current structure.” The demolition destroyed not only the East Wing offices traditionally used by First Ladies, but also the East Garden Room, Family Theater, East Colonnade, and underground Presidential Emergency Operations Center.
The project’s estimated cost has ballooned from an initial $200 million to approximately $300 million, with Trump claiming donations have reached $350 million. The ballroom will accommodate up to 1,000 guests and span nearly double the size of the main White House building.
Trump has consistently maintained that “zero cost to the American taxpayer” will be involved, with funding coming entirely from private donors managed through the Trust for the National Mall, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The White House has released a partial list of donors:
- Altria Group
- Amazon
- Apple
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Caterpillar
- Coinbase
- Comcast (NBC’s parent company)
- Hard Rock International
- HP
- Lockheed Martin
- Meta
- Micron Technology
- Microsoft
- NextEra Energy
- Palantir Technologies
- Ripple
- Reynolds American
- T-Mobile
- Tether
- Union Pacific Railroad
- J. Pepe and Emilia Fanjul
- Adelson Family Foundation
- Stefan E. Brodie
- Betty Wold Johnson Foundation
- Charles and Marissa Cascarilla
- Edward and Shari Glazer
- Harold Hamm
- Benjamin Leon Jr.
- The Lutnick Family
- The Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Foundation
- Stephen A. Schwarzman
- Konstantin Sokolov
- Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher
- Paolo Tiramani
- Cameron Winklevoss
- Tyler Winklevoss
Donors reportedly receive benefits including White House dinner invitations and potential name inscriptions inside the building.
Trump has proceeded without submitting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the federal agency that typically oversees major construction projects in Washington, D.C.. White House officials claim they only need approval for “vertical construction,” not demolition, though this interpretation has been challenged.
The demolished East Wing was constructed in 1902 during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and renovated in the 1940s under Franklin D. Roosevelt. It served as the entrance for countless American visitors on official tours and housed First Ladies’ offices for over 50 years. The wing also contained critical security infrastructure including bunkers used during national emergencies.
With demolition complete, construction of the ballroom is expected to continue throughout Trump’s presidency, with completion targeted before his term ends in 2029.
