By Abigail Holliday
Copy Editor
President Donald Trump’s 90,000 square foot, $300 million revamp of the East Wing is now underway, with this being the first construction on the historic building since President Harry Truman.
The construction project was first announced on July 31 of this year, stating the White House’s inability to host guests without pitching a tent on the lawn. The White House State Ballroom consists of approximately 90,000 square feet, housing 1,000 guests and seating 650 and will be finished before the end of his term as president in 2029.
President Trump aims to modernize the East Room and make the new space an ideal place to entertain other world leaders and host events, upgrading the wing by including a more modern interior and bulletproof glass.
According to President Trump’s post on Truth Social, demolition began on Oct. 20 despite lacking approval from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). The NCPC is an executive branch agency that oversees construction and renovations to government buildings, according to PBS.
President Trump claims that this $300 million project will come at no expense to the taxpayers thanks to the generosity of patriotic donors, including the President himself.
However, President Trump is also in the process of suing the federal government for $230 million. He has filed two claims with the Justice Department seeking damages from when the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago property looking for proof of working with Russia during his campaign in 2016. If President Trump is awarded the money for the alleged damages, the money will be taken directly from taxpayer money, according to PBS.
This is not the first round of renovations the Trumps have made in the White House. In 2020, First Lady Melania Trump made the edition of a 1,200 square foot tennis pavilion on the South Lawn, and in 2025, President Trump funded the installation of two 88 foot flagpoles on the North and South Lawns, as well as replaced the Rose Gardens with a $2 million installation of limestone tiles and renovated the Oval Office to add gold accents and portraits, according to The White House.
This project will also erase the entire Jacqueline Kennedy Garden adjacent to the East Colonnade and tear down at least six historical trees. Two of these trees are southern magnolias planted in 1947 and were dedicated to Presidents Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt, according to Elle Decor.
Additionally, President Trump has announced yet another renovation on Oct. 27 for the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center elected President Trump as Board Chair on Feb. 11, replacing David M. Rubenstein, also firing their current president and appointing Richard Grenell as interim Kennedy Center President.
According to President Trump’s post on Truth Social, he plans to make the “TRUMP KENNEDY” Center the “finest Arts and Entertainment Center anywhere in the World,” renovating the ceilings, chandeliers, wall coverings, stages, seating, carpeting, heating, air conditioning and more.
“I am doing the same thing to the United States of America, but only on a ‘slightly’ larger scale!” he said.
