Overview
- An anonymous White House official confirmed that demolition started Monday to clear the East Wing for a new ballroom.
- Photos and video shared with The Washington Post show heavy machinery inside the structure, shattered windows, and water used to suppress dust.
- Trump’s plan calls for roughly 8,400 square meters of new space designed to accommodate about 650 guests, significantly enlarging the complex.
- The work contradicts Trump’s earlier assurance that the historic structure would not be altered, a discrepancy the White House has not explained.
- Trump says corporate donors including Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Coinbase are funding the project, while early site work has removed the covered East Wing entrance and required felling trees.