The White House has once again become the epicenter of political drama, this time over bulldozers tearing into its East Wing to make room for President Donald Trump’s proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The $200 million project, billed as the largest structural addition to the Executive Mansion in more than half a century, has triggered fierce backlash from Democrats and preservationists alike.
“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton posted on X, echoing outrage shared by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Trump of “literally destroying the White House.”
The Trump administration maintains that the grand ballroom, intended for state dinners and public events, will be entirely privately funded, costing taxpayers nothing.
“I am honoured to be the first president to finally get this much-needed project underway, with zero cost to the American taxpayer,” Trump declared on Truth Social, adding that it will be “the most beautiful ballroom in the world.”
Critics, however, say the president has sidestepped federal oversight by bypassing the National Capital Planning Commission, which typically reviews such projects.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation expressed “deep concern,” warning that the construction risks “disrupting the balanced classical design of the White House.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the move, calling it “a glorious addition” and comparing it to past presidential renovations. “Obama added a basketball court, Truman a bowling alley, Trump’s adding a ballroom,” he said. “Even Democrats will get to use it when they win back the White House.”
Despite assurances, the project’s approval process remains murky, and with parts of the East Wing already demolished, preservationists fear that history, quite literally, is being torn down in the name of grandeur.
