Photos Show Full Demolition of White House East Wing as Trump Moves Ahead with $300 Million Ballroom Project

The entire East Wing of the White House, including its historic East Colonnade, has been torn down as President Donald Trump presses ahead with his plan to build a new ballroom on the site.

Photos released Thursday by the Associated Press show demolition reaching nearly to the main executive mansion, with debris and steel framing scattered across the area. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the massive project, urging the public to “trust the process” and saying changes were made after consultations with architects and construction teams.

“With any construction project, there are changes over time,” Leavitt said. “The plans changed when the president heard counsel from the architects and construction companies, who said that in order for this East Wing to be modern and beautiful for many, many years to come, this phase one was necessary.”

President Trump said Thursday that he has raised $350 million for the ballroom, estimating the cost will be “in the neighborhood” of $300 million. While he declined to specify his personal contribution, he vowed to “donate whatever is needed.”

“It’s been expanded and made absolutely — it’ll be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world,” Trump said during a roundtable in the State Dining Room.

The demolition includes both the East Wing — long home to first ladies’ offices — and the East Colonnade, a structure connecting the wing to the main building that often served as an entrance for guests. It also contained the White House theater, used by presidents for private film screenings.

Officials say historical items from the East Wing, including furnishings from Rosalynn Carter’s original Office of the First Lady, have been preserved and stored under the supervision of the White House Executive Residence and the National Park Service, with help from the White House Historical Association.

Photos also show the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden stripped bare, with its grass and plantings removed as part of the construction.

During a recent donor dinner, Trump previewed the project, telling guests, “Everything out there is coming down, and we’re replacing it with one of the most beautiful ballrooms that you’ve ever seen.”

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