Overview
- AFP journalists observed crews tearing down part of the East Wing on Oct. 20 as work commenced on the months-long project.
- Plans call for a hall of over 8,000 square meters with capacity for up to 1,000 guests at an estimated cost of about $250 million.
- The new structure replaces space traditionally used by the First Lady’s offices and is slated for large state dinners and official events, according to the president.
- Trump says private donors and companies will fully fund the project, after hosting a thank-you dinner with representatives from Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Palantir and Lockheed Martin.
- Historians and political opponents decried the move as a break with White House tradition, while Trump argues the East Wing will be modernized and unveiled with a Mar-a-Lago-style design.