Overview
- Journalists documented active demolition on the East Wing, with sections of the facade removed as work began this week.
- Trump acknowledged the East Wing will be removed to make room for the venue after earlier suggesting the existing structure would remain untouched.
- The project is described as a roughly $250 million build financed by private contributors and the president, with donors from major tech and defense firms recently thanked at the White House.
- Plans call for an approximately 8,000‑square‑meter ballroom accommodating about 900–1,000 guests for state dinners and diplomatic events in a style echoing Mar‑a‑Lago.
- Democrats, historians and former first ladies condemned the demolition and its timing during a federal shutdown, arguing it disrespects the public nature of the residence.