As photos of the White House demolition began to circulate, critics expressed outrage that the country’s preeminent historic landmark was left destroyed.
President Trump unveils a model of the White House’s two-story banquet hall
President Donald Trump has unveiled a model of the White House’s new two-story ballroom, saying he thinks it will be the largest in the world.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump took to the podium in the East Room last week and spoke about the two men who advised him on a zoning permit for the White House ballroom he had long wanted.
At an Oct. 15 dinner ordered to thank private donors to the project, the 45th and 47th presidents of the United States described the pair as “two geniuses” who were “like movie stars.” President Trump recalled saying they could immediately begin the process on the project “near” the East Tower. No permits or reviews were required.
Trump, a second-generation real estate businessman, said he was familiar with the “brutal” process of getting zoning approvals, but he couldn’t believe that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue could be moved so quickly.
“I said, ‘How long will it take?’ They said, ‘Sir, you can start tonight. There are zero zoning conditions. There are no approvals,'” Trump said. “I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ He said, ‘Sir, this is the White House.’ You’re the president of the United States. You can do whatever you want. ”
The White House did not respond to USA TODAY’s questions about their identities, but his faith in them may come back to haunt him. It’s already happening.
President Trump in July: “I will not touch the east building when constructing a banquet hall.”
When the White House first announced plans for the ballroom on July 31, President Trump told reporters that the 90,000-square-foot addition “will be built on the east side and it’s going to be beautiful.”
“You’ll have a view of the Washington Monument. It won’t be in the way of the current building,” he said. “It’s close, but it doesn’t touch it, and it has complete respect for the existing building. I’m the biggest fan of that.”
Less than three months later, bulldozers removed the entire East Wing of the White House. As President Trump originally described the project, the construction was no longer “near” the portion of the building that historically housed the first lady’s office.
Demolition was in full swing. The backlash was similar.
Hillary Clinton: “This isn’t his home. It’s your home.”
On October 21, as photos of the demolition site began to circulate, many voices, including former first lady Hillary Clinton, expressed outrage at the country’s prominent historic landmark being left destroyed.
Clinton posted a photo of the demolished facade on X with the caption: “This isn’t his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
The National Trust for Historic Places has called on the government and the National Park Service to suspend demolition until the proposed ballroom plans “go through the legally mandated public review process, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Fine Arts Commission.” Both committees have the authority to review new construction of the White House.
Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust, wrote in a letter to the NCPC, National Park Service and Fine Arts Commission that the organization recognizes the utility of a larger White House estate. But she said there are still concerns about the size of the building being added to.
Quillen wrote that the 90,000-square-foot new construction “would overwhelm the White House itself,” which is 55,000 square feet, adding that “(the addition) could permanently disrupt the White House’s carefully balanced classical design, with its two small, low-slung east and west wings.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pointed to the timing of the project, which broke ground on the 21st day of a government shutdown that has left hundreds of thousands of people working without pay.
“Oh, you mean to say the cost of living is going up?” Warren wrote to X. “Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers tearing down the White House wing to make way for a new ballroom.”
President Trump said the sounds of construction sounded like music to his ears.
President Trump’s banquet hall begins with ‘no approval’
President Trump said he was advised that the project did not need to be reviewed.
But in a July 31 statement announcing the project, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said, “The President and the Trump White House are committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserve the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom for future administrations and generations of Americans to enjoy.”
Her comments stand in contrast to a congressional aide familiar with the process who told USA TODAY that no review has been submitted for approval by the Capitol Planning Commission, which provides construction and zoning advice to Washington, D.C., and approves various federal construction projects.
Asked for a response, a White House official told USA TODAY that the NCPC does not have jurisdiction over demolition, only construction. Therefore, officials said that no approval from NCPC is necessary or required for demolition.
As for construction, the White House will seek approval from the NCPC “soon”, a spokesperson told USA TODAY on Oct. 22.
Asked why the façade was demolished even though the president said construction of the banquet hall would not touch the east wing, the official said the scope and scale of the project was “subject to change at any time” depending on “the evolution of the process.”
“Tribute to the Man Known as Donald J. Trump”
Trump has floated the ballroom idea over the years and across multiple administrations. He also always said he would fund the project.
“I just toured the grounds of a new ballroom that will be built as a tribute to the man known as Donald J. Trump in the White House,” President Trump wrote on June 6. “For 150 years, many people, including presidents, have wanted beautiful ballrooms, but until now no one had the knowledge or experience to do something like that, so they were never built.”
But that plan also changed.
President Trump said that in the preceding months, many private donors had lined up to pay for the $250 million project.
At a dinner on October 15, President Trump announced that the project was fully funded. Donors included some of the nation’s largest companies, including those in the defense and technology industries that do business with the government.
These include Palantir, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and Meta.
“Many of you have been really, really generous,” Trump told donors at the dinner. “Some people here have said $25 million is the right amount, and I said I’ll take it.”
While the president may not be using taxpayer funds for the project, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, criticized Trump’s timing amid the government shutdown.
“His priorities are absolutely ridiculous. He should be negotiating with Democrats every day until government is open and families are saved from financial ruin by extending the Affordable Care Act tax credit,” Murray said. “He’s focused on destroying history and building ballrooms while millions of families go uninsured.”
New Details About Ballroom Plans – Bulletproof Glass
President Trump has long said the East Room, the largest room in the White House, is too small to hold large gatherings. Official banquets are often moved to outdoor tents to accommodate guests.
“When it rains, it’s a disaster. And the tent is 100 yards away. That’s more than a football field from the front door,” he said on Oct. 15. “It’s not a pretty sight. The women are wearing nice evening dresses and their hair is all done, and by the time they get there it’s a mess.”
When President Trump recently paved the Rose Garden lawn, he said he was doing it for women who are known for getting their high heels stuck in the mud.
President Trump has been busy making renovations since entering the White House for his second term in January.
He decorated the Oval Office with gold, added a Walk of Fame exhibit featuring portraits of past presidents along the South Colonnade, and proposed building a new arch across from the Lincoln Memorial.
Regarding plans for the banquet hall, President Trump said the building’s glass would be bulletproof. It also has a seating capacity of 999 people, which is large enough for a “presidential inauguration,” he said.
And what is the target completion date? By January 2029, Trump’s second term in the White House will be over and he will become the 48th president of the United States.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is USA TODAY’s White House correspondent. You can follow her at X @SwapnaVenugopal.
