Work continues on a largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin | AP
The demolition of the White House East Wing is nearly complete as President Donald Trump pushes ahead with plans to build a massive ballroom, an administration official told NBC News Thursday.
Construction crews are now turning their attention to debris removal, the official said. Photos showed the building largely reduced to rubble.
Trump said Wednesday that the 90,000 square foot ballroom will cost $300 million, higher than the original estimated price tag of $200 million.
The president had promised in July that the ballroom would not impact the East Wing.
“It’ll be near it but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” Trump said at the time.
When asked about the demolition on Wednesday, Trump said the East Wing was “very small” and “never thought of as being much.”
“In order to do it properly we had to take down the exising structure,” the president told reporters.
A senior White House official cited “structural reasons” for the decision to knock down East Wing when asked by CNBC on Wednesday.
Construction workers, bottom right, atop the U.S. Treasury, watch as work continues on a largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin | AP
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
