White House begins demolition of part of East Wing for Trump’s ballroom

Washington — Demolition on the White House’s East Wing has begun, although President Trump previously said his ballroom addition to the White House wouldn’t “interfere” with the building’s existing structure.  

The Washington Post first reported on the demolition and published an image of the work. And on Monday, a pool reporter captured video of part of the East Wing being torn down. 

During an event Monday with the Louisiana State University baseball team at the White House, the president remarked on the construction, which he said “just started today.” 

“You know we’re building — right behind us — we’re building a ballroom,” Mr. Trump said during the celebration of the 2024 NCAA champions in the White House East Room. He pointed out, “Right on the other side, you have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically.”

The president told reporters in September that construction had begun, though at the time, no part of the White House building had been demolished.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a social media post by Mr. Trump Monday announcing that “ground has been broken” for the “new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom.”

“For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State visits, etc.,” Mr. Trump said in the post. “I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer!”

The East Wing of the White House is fairly small and is where the first lady’s office and staff are located.

“It won’t interfere with the current building,” the president said in July. “It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”

The White House says the project, which will cost $250 million, has been fully funded by private contributions from business and big tech, including Apple, Microsoft and Coinbase. Earlier this month, ballroom donors dined at the White House with Mr. Trump. 

By September, a number of companies had pledged to donate $5 million or more for the addition, multiple sources familiar with the matter said. 

The addition was originally planned to be 90,000 square feet, but that figure is likely to increase. The ballroom, which will be used for events that on occasion will include heads of state, is intended to hold 999 people, up from an initial estimate of 650. Mr. Trump said it will have bulletproof glass windows on all sides. 

CBS News previously obtained renderings of the ballroom.