President Donald Trump, serving his second term, pushed back on Wednesday against claims that his administration has been less than transparent about the controversial demolition of the White House East Wing to make way for a new, privately funded ballroom.
During a press briefing following his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the president responded sharply to questions about recent photos showing heavy machinery tearing into the 83-year-old East Wing — a section Trump once promised would remain untouched. “I’ve shown this to everyone who would listen,” Trump told reporters, waving renderings of the ballroom design. “Third-rate reporters didn’t see it because they didn’t look,” he added, targeting Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason directly and calling him a “third-rate reporter who always has been.”
Trump insisted that the project has been public from the start, claiming that architectural plans and images had already circulated widely. “These pictures have been in newspapers, they’ve been in — all over the place — and we’re very proud of it,” he said. “I think we’ve been more transparent than anybody’s ever been.”
We Don’t Touch the White House’: Trump Defends Full East Wing Demolition
Amid growing public scrutiny, the president justified the full demolition of the East Wing as a necessary step for proper construction. “In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” Trump explained, adding that he had “never thought much” of the old building, which he described as “not particularly nice.”
He emphasized that the new ballroom will not alter the main White House residence. “The way it was shown, it looked like we were touching the White House. We don’t touch the White House,” he clarified. According to Trump, the ballroom will be linked to the residence by a “glass bridge,” leading to a “magnificent” new event space that he said has received “incredible reviews.”
Photos circulating online, however, show much of the East Wing reduced to rubble, with only a few outer walls still standing — sparking alarm among preservationists and historians who warn that the scope of the project could irreparably alter the White House’s historic appearance.
Historic Preservationists and Former Staff Voice Alarm
Criticism of the demolition has come from across the political spectrum. Former East Wing staff members from both Democratic and Republican administrations have condemned the destruction, calling it an affront to the building’s historic integrity. Several former aides to First Lady Pat Nixon reportedly appealed to the National Capital Planning Commission to intervene and halt the project.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation also issued a stern warning to the administration, arguing that the planned ballroom “will overwhelm the White House itself” and could “permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design” of the presidential complex. In a letter addressed to administration officials and the National Park Service, the organization urged an immediate pause in demolition until a legally required public review and comment process is completed.
“We respectfully urge the Trump Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review process,” wrote the Trust’s CEO, Carol Quillen, on Tuesday. As construction continues, the debate over modernization versus preservation at the nation’s most iconic residence shows no sign of slowing.
