The First Lady has privately voiced opposition to the demolition of the White House East Wing, telling confidants that President Donald Trump’s decision to tear down the historic structure was not her idea, administration officials said October 25, 2025.
Excavators began tearing down the Roosevelt-era building this week to clear space for a massive 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The destruction contradicts President Trump’s earlier pledge to leave the existing structure intact while building the ballroom alongside it.
The demolished section housed the Office of the First Lady, the East Colonnade and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. Melania Trump has not issued any public remarks regarding the removal.
The project’s price tag has ballooned from $200 million to at least $300 million, though President Trump maintains private donations will fund the entire undertaking. The planned ballroom has grown to hold 900 guests, a significant increase from the initial 650-person capacity. At nearly double the size of the White House’s 55,000-square-foot main building, the new structure would dramatically alter the property’s footprint.
Photographs showing heavy machinery dismantling the building appeared online this week, generating widespread outrage across social media platforms. The destruction is reportedly visible from space.
Stephanie Grisham, who previously served as Melania Trump’s chief of staff before becoming an administration critic, told CNN the East Wing’s destruction is distressing. She noted the demolition occurred in mere days, circumventing normal White House renovation protocols.
The Trump administration has not yet presented ballroom blueprints to the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal body tasked with reviewing and authorizing construction on federal land. Will Scharf, whom Trump appointed to lead the planning commission, said last month that demolition requires no approval but construction does.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation issued an October 21 letter calling on the White House to halt demolition pending plan review. The group warned that the proposed structure’s massive scale and height could dwarf the White House itself and compromise its classical architectural balance featuring proportionally smaller East and West Wings.
The letter emphasized: “As we approach the 250th Anniversary of our country’s founding, the preservation of historic places that represent our nation’s history has never been more relevant or important.”
When Reuters reporter Jeff Mason questioned President Trump about project transparency during an October 23 press interaction, the president responded defensively, stating: “I haven’t been transparent? Really? I’ve shown this to everybody that would listen. Third-rate reporters didn’t see it because they didn’t look.”
Yet conflicting reports suggest Melania Trump previously embraced the renovation because it would make the presidential residence more like the Trumps’ Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. According to People magazine, both Donald and Melania Trump favor Palm Beach and are importing that design sensibility to Washington, D.C., with President Trump having personally influenced the interior design at their Florida property.
The demolition unfolds amid an extended government shutdown that has forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers, including air traffic controllers and TSA agents, to perform their duties without paychecks.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended the undertaking, saying President Trump is committed to improving the White House at no cost to taxpayers. The upgrades will serve future presidents and American citizens visiting the People’s House, Ingle said.
Neither the First Lady nor the White House responded to requests for comment about Melania Trump’s reported reservations. The First Lady lives primarily in New York and has rarely participated in official White House functions since her husband returned to the presidency.
Officials said the East Wing offices will be rebuilt as part of the project.
