...
By James Bickerton
News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Satellite photographs provided to Newsweek by Planet, a company that specializes in satellite photography, show how the East Wing of the White House was demolished this week to make way for President Trump’s new ball room.
Why It Matters
The demolition of the structure, which was first built in 1902 then expanded in 1942, has proven controversial with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, branding it a “vanity project.”
Read More on News
However, Trump said the East Wing was “ready to be replaced” and argued that adding a “new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom” will make the complex “more beautiful than ever when it is complete.”
What To Know
After announcing the change in the early summer, Trump ordered the construction of a new 90,000 square feet state ballroom, capable of holding over 650 people, at the president’s official residence in Washington D.C.
Initially the building was estimated to cost $200 million but this has since increased to $300, which Trump says is being funded by private donors rather than the taxpayer.
Planet provided Newsweek with three satellite images of which the first two, dated September 9 and 26, show the White House including its intact East Wing.
However, the final image, taken on October 23, showed the East Wing having been completely demolished.
Citing a White House official, The New York Times reported the demolition of the East Wing, which once housed the First Lady’s offices, began on Monday.
Trump had initially said the ballroom construction would not “interfere with the current building,” though on Wednesday he told BBC reporters “I think we’ve been more transparent than anyone’s ever been.”
The president said a new hosting venue at the White House had been wanted “for at least 150 years” adding the East Wing had been “very, very much changed from what it was originally.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the East Wing’s demolition by reporters on Thursday.
She said: “The plans changed when the president heard counsel from the architects and the construction companies, who said that in order for this East Wing to be modern and beautiful for many, many years to come — for it to be a truly strong and stable structure — this phase one that we’re now in was necessary. The president wants to do right by the people’s house.”
What People Are Saying
Speaking to Newsweek White House spokesperson David Ingle said: “President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense. These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House.”
In a social media post Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote: “Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom.”
What Happens Next?
Work on the construction of the brand new ballroom itself is now expected to begin imminently. A date for completion of the construction has not been publicly announced.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines