The White House is currently under construction after demolition began Monday, October 20, 2025, to add a $250 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom for President Donald Trump. Workers started by tearing down parts of the East Wing with an excavator, and a ballroom, supposedly funded by Trump and other private donors, is supposed to be put in its place.
Big Beautiful & Unnecessary Ballroom
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously spoke on the new “state ballroom” and iterated that it would be taking the space where first ladies typically maintain offices. This project is in its early stages of the president’s 15-year plan to expand the event space on White House grounds. This is one of many other changes made to the national historical landmark, including the new large flagpoles, pavement over the Rose Garden, and the Oval Office painted gold.
“I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” Trump posted to his social media on Monday evening. “Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!”
President Trump also managed to sneak his new ballroom into conversation during an event celebrating the LSU baseball teams yesterday, after the construction started. “You know, we’re building right behind us — we’re building a ballroom. They wanted a ballroom for 150 years, and I’m giving that honor to this wonderful place,” he said. “I didn’t know I’d be standing here right now, because right on the other side, you have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically.”
It is Called ‘Modernization’
The new ballroom is intended to preserve the “theme and architectural heritage” of the White House grounds and will seat a maximum of 650 people, which is more than three times the current largest event space in the East Room. Trump said it will be “in keeping” with the architecture and be “appropriate in color and in window shape.”
According to the White House, the ballroom will be accented with gold to include gold and crystal chandeliers, a coffered ceiling with gold inlays, and gold floor lamps. The structure of it will feature gilded Corinthian columns with a checkered marble floor.
Trump and a few of the high-dollar ballroom donors sat down at a dinner where Trump discussed the plans for the new space. “There won’t be anything like it, actually. … You know, a new thing is you build a super modern building next to an old-fashioned building, and I think that’s good, but I don’t have the courage to do that with the White House,” he said.
Trump added that there are “zero zoning conditions” set for the project. He began recalling an alleged conversation he had about how long it would take. “‘Sir, you can start tonight, you have no approvals.’ I said, ‘You gotta be kidding.’ They said, ‘Sir, this is the White House, you’re the president of the United States, you can do anything you want,’” he recalled.
Criticism Following Demolition
Many people online have condemned the new ballroom, criticizing that someone who only plans to stay in the White House for three years is doing an awful lot of permanent construction. However, the White House communications director Steven Cheung had a different point of view. He requested the critics stop “pearl clutching.”
He posted a screenshot from when the White House went under construction in the 1950s, stating, “Construction has always been a part of the evolution of the White House.” He added that “Losers who are quick to criticize need to stop their pearl clutching and understand the building needs to be modernized. Otherwise, you’re just living in the past.”
The last full-blown reconstruction done on the White House was not to modernize or keep up with the times. It was solely done to protect the structure and make it more stable. During the Truman administration, the building was found to be “structurally weak and in danger of collapse.” Since then, there have been no remodels of this nature and only the occasional redecorating.
Critics of the ballroom not only believe it is unnecessary but also raise concerns about the timing. The United States is currently in week three of a government shutdown, with no end in sight, and has yet to pass a funding bill or continuing resolution. Many citizens are unable to pay their rent, buy groceries, or afford health insurance, but there is certainly enough money to fund a $250 million ballroom for the White House.
