Trump Completes Demolition of White House East Wing: Satellite Images

Demolition crews have completed tearing down the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for US President Donald Trump’s massive new $300 million ballroom, according to satellite images released Thursday.

The images, shared with AFP by Planet Labs PBC and dated Thursday, show a gray and brown expanse of rubble where the East Wing once stood. Photos taken less than a month earlier showed the structure — which housed the first lady’s offices — still intact.

The total destruction of one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks is far more extensive than what Trump had initially announced — and occurred with almost no prior warning.

When he first unveiled the project in July, Trump claimed the 90,000-square-foot ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building” and would be built “near it but not touching it.” However, after construction began this week, Trump said on Wednesday that he had decided, after consulting with architects, that “really knocking it down” was the better option.

He insisted the 1,000-seat ballroom was necessary, arguing that state dinners and other large events currently have to be held in temporary tents on the White House lawn.

Trump also confirmed that the ballroom’s cost had risen to $300 million — up from $250 million announced earlier this month and $200 million in July.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told AFP that $300 million is now the “definitive figure,” adding that “it’s not going to cost the taxpayers a dime.”

The White House released a list of donors on Thursday, which includes tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Palantir, as well as defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Individual donors include the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, of The Social Network fame.

“How much am I donating? I can’t say until it’s finished,” Trump told reporters. “I’ll donate whatever’s needed — that I can tell you.”

While many presidents have made modifications to the White House, Trump’s ballroom marks the largest structural change in more than a century.

Though less prominent than the West Wing, the East Wing had stood in some form for 123 years, dating back to Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. It was significantly renovated in 1942 by Franklin D. Roosevelt and, until this week, housed the offices of the first lady. It also served as the main entrance for public tours and social events.

Amid growing criticism, the White House Historical Association — an independent nonprofit that preserves the presidential residence’s heritage — said it had worked to safeguard historical materials.

The group noted it had conducted a “comprehensive digital scanning and photography project to create a permanent historic record” and that “historic artifacts have been preserved and stored.”

Trump’s demolition of the East Wing has sparked outrage from his Democratic critics, including former first lady and 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation also urged Trump to halt the demolition, warning in a letter Tuesday that “the massing and height of the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself.” It called for the plans to be reviewed by the federal agency that oversees government buildings in Washington.

The White House, however, has maintained that Trump has full authority to carry out the demolition without the agency’s approval.