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(NewsNation) — Construction has begun connected the $250 cardinal ballroom President Donald Trump is adding to the White House, and questions are being raised astir the task aft demolition began connected the East Wing.
Earlier this year, Trump said the summation would not interfere with the existent layout of the White House, but things person changed. Now, the enactment that supports the preservation of America's historical buildings is demanding an contiguous halt to the project.
What is Trump's program for a ballroom?
The president's program is to physique a 90,000-square-foot ballroom that volition clasp astir 1,000 people. It volition beryllium constructed wherever the East Wing, traditionally wherever the archetypal woman has offices, sits now.
Renderings of the ballroom amusement a ample abstraction decorated successful Trump's signature style, including ample amounts of gilding successful gold.
A rendering shows the interior of the projected White House ballroom. (White House)Trump has expressed distaste astatine the existent practice, wherever ample events are held connected the tract with tents constructed for atrocious upwind to accommodate the fig of guests.
How overmuch volition the ballroom cost?
The operation of the ballroom is projected to outgo astir $250 million.
The White House says this is simply a privately funded project, with the wealth coming from backstage donors and Trump himself, thing helium joked astir astatine a Rose Garden lawsuit yesterday, arsenic helium mentioned that guests could perceive the dependable of construction.
"I deliberation erstwhile I perceive that sound, it reminds maine of money," Trump said. "In this case, it reminds maine of deficiency of money, due to the fact that I'm paying for it."
The White House released a rendering of the ballroom. (White House)The authoritative magnitude Trump is paying has not been announced. It's not wide who the donors are, though the White House says it volition merchandise a database of donors.
Ethics experts person raised concerns that it amounts to a "pay to play" strategy wherever donors who lend volition get much entree to the president.
Why are radical criticizing the plan?
The task has drawn disapproval from a fig of humanities groups. They constituent retired that, dissimilar past renovations, the White House did not question support from extracurricular groups oregon spell done a nationalist plan oregon consulting process.
Edward Lengel, erstwhile main historiographer for the White House Historical Association, told NewsNation that helium doesn't deliberation the plan is successful keeping with the ideals and visions the Founding Fathers had for the people's house.
"I deliberation they would person been appalled by this. Jefferson successful peculiar would person mislaid his caput implicit this," Lengel said. "Washington, I think, besides would person been profoundly disappointed, due to the fact that I deliberation it is the incorrect idea."
This photograph provided by the U.S. Library of Congress shows the East entranceway of the White House, Washington, successful 1906. (U.S. Library of Congress via AP)The White House has not been swayed by critics and pushed backmost successful a caller statement.
"In the latest lawsuit of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their fake quality allies are clutching their pearls implicit President Donald J Trump's visionary variation of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House," the connection said.
Have determination been different renovations to the White House?
The White House has been renovated by presidents before. In 1902, nether President Theodore Roosevelt, the gathering underwent a modernization process.
The East Wing itself was added successful 1942 to conceal a bunker that became the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. The helping yet became location to the archetypal lady's offices.
FILE - Liz Carpenter, property caput and unit manager for archetypal woman Lady Bird Johnson, poses for a photograph successful her bureau successful the East Wing of the White House successful Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 1963. On the walls are her Theta Sigma Phi Headliner Award and 2 photos of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges, File)In 1952, Harry Truman gutted and rebuilt parts of the interior of the gathering due to the fact that it was recovered to beryllium structurally anemic and successful information of collapse.
First woman Jaqueline Kennedy's renovations successful 1961 turned the residence into a historical showcase of statesmanlike history, and successful 1979, President Jimmy Carter enactment star panels connected the extortion to beryllium much environmentally friendly. (They were removed by President Ronald Reagan and past reinstalled by President George W. Bush.)
This is the latest successful a fig of renovations Trump has made to the White House this term. He has paved implicit the writer successful the Rose Garden designed by archetypal woman Jackie Kennedy, installed 2 flagpoles connected the White House tract and added golden accents to the Oval Office arsenic well.
Is Trump allowed to renovate the White House to this extent?
The White House has not yet submitted plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves and monitors enactment connected national buildings.
The Trump medication says it is lone required to taxable plans for construction, not demolition, which began this week.
Work continues connected the demolition of a portion of the East Wing of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, successful Washington, earlier operation of a caller ballroom. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)The National Trust for Historic Preservation disagrees and says the White House is legally required to spell done nationalist reappraisal to bash the demolition and needs to halt the task until that happens.
"We respectfully impulse the medication and the National Park Service to intermission demolition until plans for the projected ballroom spell done the legally required nationalist reappraisal process. These processes supply an indispensable accidental for transparency and nationalist engagement," the radical said successful a statement.
The radical besides mentioned concerns that the size of the caller ballroom volition overwhelm the existent White House and that it conflicts with the existent classical operation of the building.
