Construction has officially begun on President Donald Trump’s planned $250 million White House ballroom, a massive new addition that will reportedly replace part of the East Wing. The project marks one of the most significant structural changes to the White House in decades.
Trump confirmed the start of construction during a speech on Monday, saying work had “just started.” Hours later, photos and videos surfaced showing demolition activity on the East Wing, first reported by The Washington Post.
Originally announced in July, the project will see the ballroom built “where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits,” according to a White House statement at the time. The administration said the new structure would be “substantially separated” from the main White House building.
Trump emphasized that the expansion would not interfere with the historic structure. “It’ll be near it but not touching it—and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite place. I love it,” he said at an event in July.
On Monday, the President described the East Wing as “completely separate from the White House itself,” writing on Truth Social that “the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete.”
According to Trump, the new ballroom will accommodate up to 999 guests—far exceeding the capacity of the East Room, currently the largest indoor space in the White House. The ballroom will also nearly double the size of the existing structure once completed.
Last week, Trump hosted a private dinner for around 130 donors and allies who contributed to the project. Representatives from major corporations including Amazon, Google, Coinbase, and T-Mobile were reportedly in attendance, according to a White House official.
The East Wing, which dates back to 1902, has undergone multiple renovations over the past century, including the addition of a second floor in 1942. The design for the new ballroom will be led by McCrery Architects, with Clark Construction overseeing the build. The White House has said the project is expected to be completed “well before the end of President Trump’s term.”
The new addition follows Trump’s renovation of the Rose Garden in August, where he added striped umbrellas reminiscent of those at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump has previously claimed that he offered to fund and build a White House ballroom during both the Obama and Biden administrations, but said those offers were declined.
