Overview
- New AP photos and satellite images confirm the East Wing and its connecting East Colonnade have been completely demolished, with garden areas also uprooted.
- Plans call for a neoclassical ballroom of roughly 8,000–8,300 square meters seating about 900 people at an estimated cost of $300 million, designed by McCrery Architects with Clark Construction as builder.
- The White House says historic elements, including items from Rosalynn Carter’s office, were preserved and stored under Executive Residence and National Park Service supervision with support from the White House Historical Association.
- A published donor roster includes Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Coinbase, Ripple, Lockheed Martin, Palantir, T-Mobile and Union Pacific, along with individuals such as Harold Hamm and Benjamin León, as ethics experts warn of access and influence after Trump told patrons, “This is the price of having access to the President.”
- Preservation groups urge a halt for legal review as the NCPC and Commission of Fine Arts did not intervene during the shutdown, the White House maintains formal approvals were unnecessary and funding is private, and ABC reports Trump plans to name the new hall after himself.