Overview
- Fresh images from Dec. 8 show the 123-year-old East Wing site cleared to rubble as demolition nears completion.
- The White House says building work has not started and will follow NCPC approval, with plans due this month after no consultation on the October demolition.
- Trump now cites a roughly $300 million, privately funded project and says the ballroom will be about double the original size with capacity that could approach 1,000 depending on layout.
- Shalom Baranes Associates has been tapped as lead architect, with James McCrery II remaining on the team as a consultant.
- Preservation groups and former first ladies have criticized the scale and process, noting legal exemptions that kept demolition outside early federal review.