This immense "ballroom" is intended, according to the Republican government, to accommodate visiting foreign dignitaries. With a surface area of 8,000 m², it will be able to accommodate 900 guests, and will borrow heavily from the aesthetics of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's residence in Florida.

No one expected such changes. Construction began Monday to create a new ballroom at the White House, shocking many Americans. The first photos released by the media show that the entire east side of the building has been destroyed, revealing the interior. The east wing previously housed the First Lady's offices.

"It's a desecration and an abomination," said Ron Filipkowski, a former Republican politician who is now a critic of Donald Trump, summing up the general thinking. "He starts by posting an artificial intelligence video of himself wearing a crown throwing feces on Americans' heads, then he proceeds to demolish part of the White House to make way for his Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom."

The changes were particularly shocking because Donald Trump had always maintained, until then, that the building would not be touched. The "ballroom" was supposed to rest against the existing building. "Seeing the White House being gutted like this is so emblematic of the times we're living in," posted Democratic Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota on X. "He's shredding the White House just like he's shredding the Constitution," posted California Governor Gavin Newsom that evening.

Seeing the White House torn apart is really emblematic of the times we're in pic.twitter.com/vR1iIOro3I

— Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) October 20, 2025

“Contrary to the vision of the Founding Fathers”

The Democratic Party's X account was even more explicit: "Trump is tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build a $250 million gilded ballroom for himself and his donors."

Donald Trump attempted to limit the damage with a reassuring message on his social media in the evening: "Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being completely modernized as part of this process and will be more beautiful than ever when completed!" he promised.

This immense ballroom is intended, according to the Republican authorities, to accommodate visiting foreign dignitaries. With a surface area of 8,000 m², it will be able to accommodate 900 guests, and will borrow heavily from the aesthetics of Mar-a-Lago: Corinthian columns, chandeliers, and gold leaf are planned for the four corners of this new building.

"This is contrary to the vision of America's Founding Fathers," warned Edward Lengel, historian and former head (2016 to 2018) of the White House Historical Association, the private foundation that ensures the preservation of the history of the White House, in our columns.

“Before being a seat of power, the White House was first a residence for Presidents, but also symbolically the people’s home,” the historian continued. “Until the Civil War (1861-1865), it was accessible to Americans, who could enter without any security checks. It was intended as a contrast to the Palace of Versailles. It was not meant to be above the people. Making it a place to entertain dignitaries and elites is the opposite of what the White House symbolizes for Americans.”

Donald Trump claims that the White House lacked such a room, capable of accommodating several hundred people. He also maintains that the construction will cost American taxpayers nothing: the $200 million was financed by patrons. "You shouldn't think that this is a gift: it's mainly that if it had been publicly funded, he would have had to go before Congress to obtain the funds, and these changes would never have been accepted by elected officials," points out Edward Lengel, who believes that such a change primarily pursues another goal: "He wants something that will be there for a long time, and that is bigger than what his predecessors have built."

The first computer-generated images show a rather surprising disproportion between the size of the current building and that of the future ballroom.