President Trump confirmed Wednesday that the entire East Wing of the White House will be torn down as part of the construction of a massive new ballroom, which will now cost $300 million.
President Trump confirmed Wednesday that the entire East Wing of the White House will be demolished to make way for the construction of a massive new ballroom — which will now cost $300 million.
“In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as he showed off renderings of what the White House grounds will look like when the project is completed in 2029.
The president claimed “certain areas are being left” and that “little sections of footings and various other things” from the existing structure, originally built in 1902, would be used.
“We determined that, after really a tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world, we determined that really knocking it down” would be the best path forward, Trump said.
When he first unveiled plans to build the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, he suggested that the structure would be nestled near the existing East Wing and not replace it entirely.
