Construction has officially kicked off for President Donald Trump’s $200 million dollar ballroom renovation.
Photos of the demolition work on Monday showed a backhoe tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground.
Trump confirmed the construction while hosting the 2025 college baseball champions Louisiana State University and LSU-Shreveport in the East Room.
“You're gonna see a ballroom the likes of which will NEVER be topped! Just started today,” Trump said.
“Right on the other side, you have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically,” the president added.
The East Wing houses several offices, including the office of the first lady. It was constructed in 1902 and has been renovated over the years. In 1941, a second story was added, according to the White House.
Trump has chosen McCrery Architects as lead architect for the renovation. Clark Construction is leading the construction, while AECOM is leading the engineering team, according to the White House.
“Presidents in the modern era have faced challenges hosting major events at the White House because it has been untouched since President Harry Truman,” CEO Jim McCrery said in a statement. “I am honored that President Trump has entrusted me to help bring this beautiful and necessary renovation to The People’s House, while preserving the elegance of its classical design and historical importance.”
The project is being funded by Trump and private donors.
Although the ballroom will be separated from the main building, its architectural heritage will be nearly identical, according to the White House. Nonetheless, Democrats condemned the decision to renovate the ballroom, suggesting the renovation is one of the president’s vanity projects.
But Trump has insisted that a larger and nicer ballroom has been desired for 150 years. The president on Monday said he’s adding a 90,000-square-foot, glass-walled space because the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small to host global dignitaries and other special guests.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the East Wing offices will be temporarily relocated during construction and will be modernized and renovated.
“Nothing will be torn down,” Leavitt said in July when the project was first announced.
The ballroom is expected to be completed by the end of Trump’s term.