Demolition work on the East Wing of the White House began on Monday, October 20th, as the federal government shutdown enters its 21st day under President Donald Trump.
Video footage from Washington, D.C., showed smoke billowing over the White House and parts of the home shared by the U.S. president and his family collapsing, marking the first time in nearly 80 years that a president has ordered major construction. Photos from the scene show a crane near the White House as the next phase of President Trump’s $200 million, 90,000-square-foot East Wing expansion begins.
The construction is part of President Trump’s plan to build a ballroom on the east side of the White House. The president said at an event in the East Room on October 20 that construction work on the ballroom began earlier in the day.
President Trump later said in a social media post that the East Wing “is being completely modernized as part of this process and will be more beautiful than ever when completed.”
Contributor: Zach Anderson natalie nesa alland, america today
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
