Did Trump Flip Flop On White House East Wing Demolition Yes

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 24, 2025, 11:07 PM

did trump flip flop on white house east wing demolition yes

Demolition is under way on the East Wing of the White House before construction of a ballroom, on Oct. 22, 2025. (AP) Even as the federal government grappled with a weeks-long shutdown and foreign policy concerns, the sight of demolition equipment tearing down portions of the White House riveted the nation’s capital, and Americans everywhere. The demolition work stemmed from President Donald Trump’s plans to build a $250 million, 90,000-square-feet ballroom — which he said would provide an amenity without infringing on the rest of the historic complex. On Oct.

20, demolition crews began tearing down much of the White House’s East Wing, which includes office space for first lady Melania Trump and her staff, as well as serving as an entry point for... Photographs obtained by The Washington Post Oct. 20 showed portions of the building’s familiar white facade destroyed, leaving metal and jagged edges open to the air. The New York Times reported Oct. 22 that the entire East Wing would be demolished, citing an anonymous White House official who said this approach would be cheaper and more structurally sound. CNBC had similar reporting.

In late October 2025, rumors swirled that the entire East Wing of the White House was demolished as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a new ballroom. The claims circulated after Trump vowed in July 2025 his new project would not "interfere with the current building." Referring to that statement, one X user claimed on Oct. 20 that "Trump lied" and "destroyed" the East Wing for the ballroom (archived): DONALD TRUMP HAS JUST DESTROYED PART OF THE WHITE HOUSE. TRUMP PROMISED THAT THE CONSTRUCTION OF HIS RIDICULOUS BALLROOM WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THE EXISTING STRUCTURE, IT TURNS OUT THAT WAS JUST ANOTHER TRUMP LIE.

TRUMP AND HIS ACTIONS ARE A NATIONAL DISGRACE. IT IS THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE DONALD, NOT YOURS! WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump shocked historic preservationists and incensed Democratic critics with the demolition on the East Wing of the White House this week to make room for a $300 million ballroom he... Demolition crews started on Monday, Oct. 20, by tearing down the East Wing's east entrance. The work expanded to the entire East Wing, historically used as office space for the first lady and her staff.

The full demolition is expected to be finished in the coming days, with construction ongoing throughout most of Trump's second term. The project has raised questions whether Trump has the legal authority to decide unilaterally to bulldoze a large chunk of "The People's House" ‒ and to build a massive 90,000-square foot structure in its... Perhaps surprisingly, there are few legal restraints to stop him. All it took was a president willing to break from the way construction projects on the White House grounds are usually handled. The White House, first built between 1792 and 1800, is owned by the American people and overseen by the National Park Service. The East Wing, originally known as the East Terrace, was built in 1902 and significantly expanded in 1942.

Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way. Multiple contemporaneous reports confirm that the White House East Wing was demolished in late October 2025 as part of a planned construction of a new $300 million ballroom; the demolition has been publicly acknowledged... The project has prompted immediate debate over historic preservation, process transparency, and the propriety of private funding for alterations to a national landmark [4] [5]. 1. Demolition Actually Happened — The Building Was Torn Down, Not Merely Altered

Multiple outlets report that the East Wing has been demolished to make space for a new ballroom, contradicting earlier assurances that the existing wing would be preserved. News accounts as of October 23–24, 2025 describe demolition as completed or underway and frame the action as a significant physical alteration to the White House complex rather than a cosmetic renovation [3] [6]... The coverage consistently names the action as a demolition, and media note the relocation of staff and functions that previously occupied the East Wing, reinforcing that the structure itself was removed to accommodate the... 2. Price Tag and Private Funding Are Central Claims — $300 Million and Donor Lists The entire East Wing of the White House will be demolished “within days,” according to two Trump administration officials.

The demolition is a significant expansion of the ballroom construction project from what President Donald Trump said this summer. “It won’t interfere with the current building,” Trump said on July 31. “It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.” The New York Times first reported the extent of the demolition. A White House official told NBC News the “entirety” of the East Wing would eventually be “modernized and rebuilt” while acknowledging the process is fluid. Work begins on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House on Monday in Washington, D.C., before construction of a new ballroom.

Evan Vucci/AP hide caption WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Trump's $250 million ballroom despite lacking approval... Dramatic photos of the demolition work showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next to the East Wing. Trump announced the start of construction in a social media post and referenced the work while hosting 2025 college baseball champs Louisiana State University and LSU-Shreveport in the East Room. He noted the work was happening "right behind us."

"We have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically," he said, adding, "It just started today." With little fanfare, the Trump administration demolished the East Wing of the White House in order to make space for a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom. President Donald Trump teased the project for months, first announcing his plan to build a $100 million addition back in February. But the Trump administration didn’t originally say that construction of the ballroom — whose price tag has since more than tripled — would require the entire East Wing to be razed. The demolition trucks that began pulling down the East Wing on Oct. 20 surprised both the general public and historians and architects who didn’t realize that the most prominent civic building in the US could be altered so dramatically without public discussion.

Traditionally, changes to historic public structures undergo careful review by government agencies. When President Donald Trump reflected last week on the looming construction of his White House ballroom, the longtime real estate developer was practically giddy about the lack of red tape. He noted his New York projects often took years to break ground. “They said, ‘Sir, you can start tonight,’” Trump said. “I said, what are you talking about? ‘You have zero zoning conditions.

You’re the president of’ – I said, you got to be kidding.” The president continued to marvel: “He said, ‘Sir, this is the White House. You’re the president of the United States. You can do anything you want.’” Trump has now done what he wants — in ways that are causing plenty of consternation. Images of the demolition of the existing East Wing, where the new ballroom will be located, have spurred apoplexy among Trump’s detractors and growing criticism from architectural and preservation groups.

National Capital Planning Commission Chairman Will Scharf presides over a National Capital Planning Commission meeting, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) National Capital Planning Commission Chairman Will Scharf presides over a National Capital Planning Commission meeting, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

National Capital Planning Commission Chairman Will Scharf presides over a National Capital Planning Commission meeting, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) The Rose Garden of The White House is seen from the Colonnade Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Demolition to build President Donald Trump’s new ballroom off the East Wing of the White House can begin without approval of the commission tasked with vetting construction of federal buildings, the... Updated on: October 21, 2025 / 11:59 PM EDT / CBS News Washington — Demolition on the White House's East Wing has begun, although President Trump previously said his ballroom addition to the White House wouldn't "interfere" with the building's existing structure. The Washington Post first reported on the demolition and published an image of the work. And on Monday, a pool reporter captured video of part of the East Wing being torn down. During an event Monday with the Louisiana State University baseball team at the White House, the president remarked on the construction, which he said "just started today."

"You know we're building — right behind us — we're building a ballroom," Mr. Trump said during the celebration of the 2025 NCAA champions in the White House East Room. He pointed out, "Right on the other side, you have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically."

Did Trump Flip Flop On White House East Wing Demolition Yes

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