Excavator Tears Through White House East Wing After Trump Said New Ballroom Wouldn't 'Interfere' with Existing Structure

Demolition crews person started tearing into nan destruction of nan White House East Wing arsenic building gets underway for Donald Trump's a 90,000 quadrate foot ballroom — contempt nan president antecedently saying that his caller summation wouldn't "interfere" pinch nan historical White House building.

On Monday, Oct. 20, building teams were pictured utilizing a backhoe to tear done nan East Wing structure, arsenic good arsenic nan covered entranceway already torn down.

A group of people, including Secret Service members, were seen opinionated connected nan steps of nan Treasury Department to watch nan demolition, 1 witnesser who said to The Washington Post said.

The outlet reported that sound from nan building was besides audible connected nan White House's campus.

According to The Washington Post, Trump antecedently said that the caller building will astir double nan footprint of nan main building.

“It won’t interfere pinch nan existent building. It won’t be. It’ll beryllium adjacent it but not rubbing it — and pays full respect to nan existing building, which I’m nan biggest instrumentality of,” Trump said during an executive bid signing successful July, per The Washington Post. “It’s my favorite. It’s my favourite place. I emotion it."

When asked for much accusation astir whether nan full East Wing would beryllium demolished, nan White House directed PEOPLE to a Truth Social station from Trump.

"I americium pleased to denote that crushed has been surgery connected nan White House grounds to build nan new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom," he wrote connected Monday.

His connection past attempted to separate nan East Wing — which was attached to nan residence successful 1942 — from nan original White House structure, adding, "Completely abstracted from nan White House itself, nan East Wing is being afloat modernized arsenic portion of this process, and will beryllium much beautiful than ever erstwhile it is complete!"

A root who said pinch nan Post said that while nan demolition process began connected Monday, different parts of nan renewal process person been underway for weeks, including nan efforts to sphere historically important objects successful nan wing.

Trump first announced his $200 cardinal summation to nan White House East Wing connected July 31. The Associated Press reported connected Oct. 16 that nan updated costs estimate now sits astatine $250 million.

The president had been outspoken successful nan past astir wanting a room larger than nan East Room to big guests.

The White House antecedently shared specifications and plans for nan caller abstraction successful a property release. The ballroom is slated to characteristic golden chandeliers, coffered ceilings and an expansive level space, flanked by Greek columns and monolithic arched windows.

The projected creation is remarkably akin to Trump's eponymous ballroom astatine Mar-a-Lago.

"The White House Ballroom will beryllium substantially separated from nan main building of nan White House, but astatine nan aforesaid time, its taxable and architectural practice will beryllium almost identical," nan merchandise stated. "The tract of nan caller ballroom will beryllium wherever nan small, heavy changed, and reconstructed East Wing presently sits."

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On Friday, Sept. 12, nan president shared that his planned ballroom is becoming a reality and showed disconnected nan building trucks heading onto nan White House grounds.

"Right there, you spot each nan trucks. They conscionable started building of nan caller ballroom for nan White House, which is thing they've been trying to get for astir 150 years," Trump, 79, said. "And it's going to beryllium a beauty. It'll beryllium an perfectly magnificent structure."

In summation to nan ballroom, Trump and first woman Melania Trump person added Mar-a-Lago's signature yellowish and achromatic formation umbrellas to nan patio where nan Rose Garden section utilized to be, and ushered successful nan president's "gold guy" to adhd dense metallic accents passim nan White House's interior.

Though nan White House has not announced a planned completion day for nan ballroom, nan merchandise stated nan building would beryllium unfastened "long earlier nan extremity of President Trump's term."

Shortly aft nan building was announced successful August, a bid of sources told PEOPLE that nan Trump family is "bringing Mar-a-Lago to Washington" through nan renovations.