Overview
- Construction crews demolished the East Wing last week to clear the site for a roughly 90,000-square-foot State Ballroom that the White House says could host about 650 to nearly 1,000 people.
- A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey finds 56% oppose the project and 28% support it, with Republicans more favorable than Democrats and independents; other polls show similar margins.
- The White House says the project is privately funded and posted a donor list that includes Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and T-Mobile, while it has yet to disclose how much Trump will personally contribute.
- T-Mobile said its donation went to the Trust for the National Mall and that it has no role in ballroom decisions, as critics press for donor accounting and assurances about potential benefits.
- The administration fired members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and ousted planning commissioners as it argues demolition did not require prior NCPC approval, and an author has alleged Trump sought to minimize public notice of the teardown.