When Donald Trump was re-elected as president of the United States, few people believed he would be capable of bringing a crane and a wrecking ball to the White House… at least, literally. However, President Donald Trump ordered the demolition of an entire historic section of the presidential complex this past week of October 20, 2025. This is the East Wing, which has been demolished to make way for an absurdly huge ballroom. Remember those birthday parties you weren’t invited to because they said “there wasn’t enough room for everyone”? Well, that’s not going to happen again at the White House.
This new empty space is projected to occupy no less than 8,300 m². This demolition is the largest structural alteration to the building in decades. For his part, President Trump has defended the project with optimism. He has insisted that the pharaonic work will not be paid for out of taxpayers’ pockets, but will be financed entirely by private donations from patriots.
This interior renovation has sparked a deep controversy among historians, politicians, and citizens alike. Ultimately, many people can only lament the destruction of a part of the national heritage for a project of this magnitude.
The History of the East Wing
First, we need a little context about the architecture of the White House. This iconic building is divided mainly into sections: the executive residence, the East Wing on the east side. The executive residence is the original structure where the president and his family live. The West Wing is the political heart of the government, where the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room are located. The West Wing was created later, in 1902, under President Theodore Roosevelt.
The East Wing was also initially added in 1902. It was expanded four decades later in 1942 (during Harry S. Truman’s term). The East Wing traditionally served as the public entrance to the White House. It also housed the offices of the First Lady’s staff. Although President Donald Trump made it seem as if the building was tiny, it had enough space to contain the visitor center and even a small internal theater. Its destruction marks the first significant alteration to the exterior of the White House in 83 years.
The previous renovation was due to the building being in imminent danger of collapse, which led President Truman to order the almost complete reconstruction of the White House between 1948 and 1952.
A $300 Million Ballroom
President Donald Trump has been unhappy with the east wing for years. During his previous term, he realized that the current event space was completely inadequate. Its capacity is limited to about 200 people, and in this era of globalization, social events tend to attract large numbers of people from many different places. Due to the lack of space, the White House has to resort to setting up large and expensive tents in the South Lawn for state dinners or large events. It is so unpractical (and tacky) that President Trump has decided to bite the bullet and commission a new ballroom designed to solve this problem.
And the new ballroom will be huge: at 1,800 m², it will be larger than the executive residence itself. From now on, it will have a room that can accommodate 999 people simultaneously. However, the project’s costs have been rising rapidly, much like when you have to remodel your bathroom at home: the initial cost was announced with a budget of $200 million, which then jumped to $250 million and is now estimated to be around $300 million. Despite this, President Donald Trump insists that the funding is private, coming from generous patriots and large companies.
For now, we will wait to see First Lady Melania Trump give a tour of the new event hall, as Jackie Kennedy did in 1962 when she gave the first official televised tour of the White House.