By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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The company that is demolishing part of the White House to make space for President Donald Trump’s ballroom has been flooded with negative reviews online by people angry at the partial destruction of the East Wing.
“Destroying ‘The People’s House’ with no regard for their permission,” a one-star review on Google Maps reads. “Deplorable act no matter the reason.”
Dozens of people who gave the Maryland-headquartered demolition contractor, Aceco LLC, one-star reviews in the last few hours alone have similar feelings.
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Newsweek contacted Aceco by email for comment on Tuesday morning outside of standard working hours.
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Why It Matters
Demolition began on Monday to replace the White House East Wing with a new $250-million “state ballroom” announced by the president earlier this year.
According to Trump, the room, which will cover approximately 90,000 total square feet and have a seated capacity of 650 people, would give the White House the space to host “major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance.”
What To Know
The East Wing, which was built in 1902 and given a second flood and a bomb shelter in 1942, is the newest building in the complex. It houses several offices, including that of the first lady, the visitor's office and the White House Military office, which would be “temporarily relocated” during works, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Trump has minimized the impact of the demolition, saying that the building has been “renovated and changed many times,” including during World War II, but the destruction caused by wrecking crews sparked outrage among many liberal commentators and members of the public.
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“First Trump’s mob attacked the Capitol for the first time since 1812. And now Trump is doing more damage to the White House than the British did in 1814,” legal writer Marcy Wheeler wrote on X.
“So any president can just start destroying portions of the White House? Is that how this works?” journalist Jim Acosta, a former CNN White House correspondent, wrote on X.
Many of those who have flooded to Aceco’s Google page to negatively review the construction company share the same sentiment. “Collaborators,” one said. “Stop tearing down America’s house!,” another said. “This is America’s house! Complete and utter desecration of a national monument. Shame on you! I’m alternating between rage and heartbreak for our beautiful historic White House,” another one-star review filed in the last few hours reads. “Tore down my house without permission,” one review says.
Another one-star review filed in the past couple of hours asks Aceco if they “even” thought “to get a second opinion before demolishing a historic home,” accusing the company of “disgusting unethical behavior.”
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Before starting the demolition work on the East Wing, Aceco—which has 86 years of experience on the market and has completed over 3,500 projects since 2000 alone, had only a handful of reviews on Google, all five stars.
Crucially, changes to the White House building must be vetted by the National Capital Planning Commission board. But the Trump-appointed head of the panel said last month that the demolition work fell outside the board’s jurisdiction, giving the green light for it to proceed without their approval.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote in a post on social media platform Truth Social on Monday**:** “I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!
“For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and yours truly. This Ballroom will be happily used for Generations to come!”
Will Scharf, head of the National Capital Planning Commission board and White House staff secretary, said last month**:** “Given the president’s history as a builder, and given the plans that we’ve seen publicly, I think this will be a tremendous addition to the White House complex, a sorely needed addition.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s ballroom represents the first structural changes made to the White House since the Truman Balcony was added in 1948. It is expected to be completed “long before” the end of Trump’s presidency, according to White House officials.
White House staff say the ballroom will be “substantially separated” from the main building, but its “theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical.” McCrery Architects has been chosen as lead architect for the construction.
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