Radical rebuild or reckless ruin? Trump starts White House ballroom construction | ITV News
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Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing will make way for his new $300 million (£225 million) ballroom, as ITV News US Correspondent Dan Rivers reports
He warned of American carnage – but few thought Donald Trump would inflict it on one of the most beloved buildings in the nation.
This week, Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House.
With no planning permission and no preservation, the president is putting a lasting imprint on the White House.
The work also drew tourists to Pennsylvania Avenue this week to watch – or rather listen to – the heavy machinery.
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Initially, the president said on July 31 that the White House itself would remain intact as the ballroom was going up.
“It won’t interfere with the current building,” he said. “It will be near it but not touching it. And pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
But on Wednesday, he confirmed the whole lot is coming down.
President Donald Trump holds an artist rendering of interior of the new White House ballroom. Credit: AP
“The president has been incredibly transparent,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on Thursday.
“I would reject any notion otherwise when it comes to this ballroom project.”
Amazon, Apple, Google and other major companies are among those donating to help cover the cost of President Trump’s massive new ballroom at the White House.
The project’s estimated cost has risen from $200 million (£150 million) to $300 million (£225 million), and the ballroom’s projected capacity has increased from 650 to nearly 1,000.
This work was part of President Harry S. Truman’s large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House. Credit: The White House Historical Association
The White House has been in damage control mode, posting photos of construction other presidents have commissioned to leave their stamp, including the addition of the West Wing by Franklin D Roosevelt and the indoor pool, which was later converted into the White House Press Briefing Room by Richard Nixon.
But this week, as the full scale of the demolition became clear, the uproar from Trump’s opponents reached fever pitch.
For some, this is a desecration, not just of a historic building but also a metaphor for what Trump is doing to the wider institutions of government.
Whether you view this as a radical rebuild or reckless ruination probably depends on your view of Donald Trump, but one thing is certain: it’s now far too late to save the East Wing of the White House.
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