Overview
- Photos and video on Oct. 20 showed heavy equipment ripping into the East Wing facade, and President Trump said at a White House event that construction "just started today."
- The addition has been described as roughly 90,000 square feet, with reported capacity estimates ranging from 650 to 999 and features Trump says include bulletproof glass and Washington Monument views.
- The White House says no taxpayer funds will be used and that private contributions cover the cost, with donors and company representatives including Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin and Coinbase attending a recent dinner.
- Demolition and talk of a "knockout panel" connecting from the East Room mark a shift from Trump’s earlier assurance that the project would not interfere with the existing building.
- Formal planning approvals for the ballroom have not been issued by the National Capital Planning Commission, whose chair has said demolition falls outside the board’s jurisdiction, and officials say the space will be finished well before the term ends.