The entire East Wing of the White House has been demolished as part of President Donald Trump's plan to build a new ballroom. Offices that historically housed the first lady and her staff, visitor reception spaces, and a screening room built during the Roosevelt administration have all been torn down to make way for the new 90,000-square-foot structure.

Initially announced in July as part of a $200 million project, the price tag now has risen to $300 million. The project runs counter to Trump’s earlier assurance that “nothing will be torn down” and that the new space would not “interfere with the current building." Preservationists, historians, and some lawmakers have expressed alarm that the demolition proceeded without what they say are required review processes under the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts and other oversight bodies.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attributed the demolition and higher building cost to changes that happen with any construction. “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 and the president wants to do right by the ‘People’s House,’” Leavitt said.