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The White House has begun the partial demolition of the East Wing to make way for the construction of the presidential ballroom, a project valued at 250 million dollars that, according to President Donald Trump, will not involve “a single penny of taxpayer money.”
Work began on Monday when demolition teams removed part of the historical structure, under strict security measures. Photographs published by The Washington Post showed heavy machinery tearing down walls, while the Secret Service monitored the area.
Trump confirmed the start of the works during an event in the East Room, emphasizing that the project "has been needed for more than a century." On his social media platform Truth Social, he celebrated the commencement of construction.
“For over 150 years, every president has dreamed of having a ballroom in the White House for grand receptions and state events. Now it will become a reality, at no cost to the American people!”
The new hall will cover 90,000 square feet (over 8,300 square meters), a larger space than a football field and almost double the current space of the presidential residence. Trump assured that the design will "respect the historical structure" and that the new wing "will not interfere with the original building."
However, Democrats and critics have labeled the project as "unnecessary and ostentatious." Congressman Darren Soto described it as "a disgrace" and a symbol of "Trump's Second Gilded Age."
Close sources to the project confirmed that the funding comes from private donations from large American corporations, including Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Coinbase.
The president presented the plan during a dinner with business leaders at the White House last week, assuring that the space "will serve to host the country's major events."
The East Wing, which has traditionally housed the offices of the First Lady, will be replaced by this new structure, regarded by the Trump administration as the "largest transformation of the White House in a century."
With construction already underway, Trump promised that the new hall would be ready before the end of his second term and described it as "the most beautiful place in Washington to honor the United States and its great guests."
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