New images available Thursday appear to show that the entire East Wing of the White House has been demolished to make way for President Donald Trump’s $300 million ballroom.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the demolition under questions from reporters at Thursday’s briefing.
President Trump initially said in July that the project would not interfere with the existing structure of the White House. Then this week, as crews began razing the east wing, an official said “the entire east wing will be modernized” as the massive 90,000-square-foot ballroom is built.
On Thursday, satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed the east wing reduced to rubble.
The East Wing of the White House (left) in a satellite photograph captured by Planet Labs PBC on September 26, 2025 along with a photograph captured on October 23, 2025.
Planet PBC Laboratories
Demolition work continues on a portion of the East Wing of the White House on October 23, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the construction of a new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
“This is the People’s House. Why not inform the public of that change and when it was decided that the east wing would have to be demolished?” ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked Leavitt.
“With any construction project, changes come. And we have informed all of you, we have kept you informed about this project. We have shown you the renderings,” Leavitt said.
“The plans changed when the president listened to the advice of architects and construction companies who said that in order for this east wing to be modern and beautiful for many, many years, to be a truly strong and stable structure, this phase one that we are in now was necessary,” Leavitt added.
A dump truck enters a makeshift landfill after dumping dirt and debris from the East Wing of the White House at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington, Oct. 23, 2025.
Jessica Koscielniak/Reuters
The jarring images of construction sparked a wave of backlash and questions, including whether demolition could have been stopped and who is funding the project.
“As for the cost of the ballroom and the construction itself, all of that, as I said, will be privately financed and paid for by the president himself and many generous patriots who have stepped forward,” Leavitt said. He also said he would expect a dollar figure from Trump on how much of his own resources he will commit to building the ballroom, something he has wanted to do for years.
Debris is seen in a largely demolished portion of the East Wing of the White House, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington, ahead of construction of a new ballroom.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
According to a White House official, plans for the ballroom have not yet been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission. Leavitt on Thursday, when asked if the president can tear down anything he wants in the White House, argued that they don’t need to seek demolition approval just for vertical construction.
Trump himself, at a dinner for donors earlier this month, said “two men” told him he could make changes without approval.
“I said, ‘How long would it take?’ They said, ‘Sir, you can start tonight. You have zero zoning conditions. You don’t have approvals,'” Trump said at the dinner. “I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ He said, ‘Sir, this is the White House. You’re the president of the United States. You can do whatever you want.'”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
