US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the work of demolishing a part of the East Wing of the White House has begun.
In a post on his Truth social platform, Trump said, “Ground has been broken for the construction of a new, bigger, beautiful White House Ballroom on the White House grounds.”
The ballroom is expected to have a capacity of 1,000 people, with its cost expected to reach approximately $250 million (€214.7 million).
This would be the largest increase in the US presidential residence in more than a century.
Trump said that the East Wing “is being completely modernized as part of this process, and when it is completed it will be more beautiful than ever!”
The office of the US President is in the West Wing of the White House, while Trump and his wife Melania live in the Executive Mansion. The East Wing is the traditional location of the First Lady’s offices.
Trump says the ballroom is needed to host large state dinners and other events, which currently have to be held in a tent.
Who is financing the construction?
A celebratory dinner was held last week for the ballroom’s donors. Representatives from the world’s largest tech companies were in attendance, including Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google.
Many of the companies attending the dinner have government contracts or have other deals with the Trump administration.
In his Truth Social post, Trump said the “much needed project” “will come at zero cost to the American taxpayer!”
“The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous patriots, great American companies, and yours truly,” Trump said. He also said that it would be “happily used for generations to come.”
After returning to office in January, the US leader ordered a series of changes to the White House, including covering the Oval Office in gold and paving the Rose Garden.
Plans for a giant arch in Washington, the so-called “Arc de Trump”, have also been revealed by the former reality TV star.
Edited by: Carl Sexton