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White House wing partly demolished for Trump ballroom
The Guardian
|October 22, 2025
Construction crews have started demolishing part of the East Wing of the White House to make way for Donald Trump's planned ballroom, prompting widespread criticism on social media and beyond.
One former lawmaker called the renovation an "utter desecration".
The Washington Post, which obtained and published photos of the demolition activity and cited two eyewitnesses, reported on Monday that demolition was under way, and shared an image showing construction in progress and parts of the exterior ripped down.
Other images, including ones seen in the New York Post, also show demolition of parts of the East Wing.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
On his Truth Social platform
$250m
on Monday, the US president said “ground has been broken on the White House” to build the ballroom.
This story is from the October 22, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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