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By G. A. McNeeley
Image, left via Library of Congress: interior of East Wing, now demolished; this hallway displayed portraits of first ladies.
October 31, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- President Donald Trump is facing legal action and criticism from historic preservationists and others over demolition of the White House’s East Wing as part of his $300 million plan to build a new ballroom on the executive grounds, according to Newsweek.
A Virginia couple went to court to try to block Trump from proceeding with demolition of the White House’s East Wing, POLITICO reports, but their lawsuit was unable to stop the destruction from happening.
Although Trump initially said the project wouldn't "interfere with the current building" and would be "near it but not touching it," he contradicted that on October 22, stating that "in order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” according to NPR.
When it was first announced, the White House said the project would cost $200 million, but Trump is now describing it as a $300 million project, which The White House claims will all still be funded by private donors.
Image right, by Harrison Keeley: Foyer of East Wing demolished by the Trump administration.
However, the entirety of the White House’s East Wing has now been knocked down, according to CNN. Aerial images show that the historic colonnade leading to The East Wing has also been destroyed, as well as former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s rose garden.
A brief history of the East Wing
The East Wing traces its beginnings to 1902, when President Theodore Roosevelt built a terrace for guests to enter the presidential complex during social events. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the site 
to cover up an underground bunker he had built for protection during World War II. Office space was also added, according to NPR.
Photo, left by Pete Souza, White House photographer: Theater in East Wing was used by presidents and their families through the years, before Trump had it demolished.
For more than 100 years, first ladies and their teams worked from their East Wing offices on everything from stopping drug abuse and boosting literacy to beautifying and preserving the White House. It's where they planned White House state dinners and brainstormed the elaborate themes that are a feature of the U.S. holiday season, according to NBC4 Washington.
"It has long been a space of female power and a female niche in the White House," Elizabeth Rees, a historian and research fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, said, according to NPR. "With the West Wing being a traditionally male-dominated space, the East Wing was a unique physical space for women to work… and provided them with their own environment in which to flourish."
Rosalynn Carter was the first to have office space for herself and her staff in The East Wing, according to NPR.
That history came to an end after wrecking crews tore down The East Wing’s two stories of offices and reception rooms. An in-house movie theater, a covered walkway to The White House, and a garden that was dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy are now all gone, according to NBC4 Washington.
The lawsuit against Trump
Charles and Judith Voorhees filed a motion in Washington’s federal court on October 23, asking a judge to halt any further damage to The White House while the legality of the project is assessed, according to POLITICO. Their motion sought a temporary restraining order against the demolition, arguing it’s taking place “without legally required approvals or reviews,” but they weren’t able to stop the demolition from happening.
The lawsuit also argues that Trump bypassed laws meant to protect national landmarks and public transparency. It also listed Trump and Jessica Brown, director of the National Park Service, as defendants, according to Newsweek.
The court filing alleges that the demolition and construction violates the National Capital Planning Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, as well as a mandatory review by the Commission of Fine Arts, according to Politico.
A key part of the National Historic Preservations Act of 1966 is the Section 106 review process, which outlines steps for various stakeholders and agencies to follow, such as determining whether any project would have adverse effects on a structure, and developing alternative approaches that would avoid or minimize these effects on these properties, according to PBS.
However, three buildings and their grounds are exempt from the Section 106 requirements: The U.S. Supreme Court, The U.S. Capitol, and The White House.
Mark Denicore, the attorney who filed the motion, said “I feel like a lot of people want to do something about this, but nothing seems to be happening,” according to Politico. “I threw that together as fast as I could to try to get it filed as fast as I could.”
When asked about the Voorhees’ interest in the matter, Denicore said that “they’re just people, U.S. citizens, that don’t like their house being torn down without going through proper procedures,” Politico reports.
Photo, right: The White House East Wing and collonade are now completely gone.
It’s unclear whether the couple can demonstrate the legal standing that federal courts usually require to pursue a challenge to federal government action.
What happens next at the White House?
A White House official not authorized to speak on the record told NPR that the demolition phase of Trump's project to build a 90,000 square foot ballroom is ahead of schedule.
The White House official said The East Wing demolition went directly up to the edge of the residence, and included tearing down the East Garden Room, Family Theater and East Colonnade, as well as the complex of offices, according to NPR.
The White House still hasn’t submitted construction plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which is the agency tasked with approving major renovations and construction projects on federal grounds in Washington, D.C.
Image, left via White House website: Interior of planned new ballroom to replace the East Wing.
The White House Historical Association said in a statement on October 22, that “a comprehensive digital scanning project” and photographic record of The East Wing and gardens had been created when the construction project was announced in July, according to PBS.
The association added that historical artifacts that were located in the East Wing “have been preserved and stored.”
The White House official said they don’t have a timeline for submitting the plans, but they do intend to seek approval before the construction phase begins. However, the commission is currently closed due to the ongoing government shutdown and their October meeting was canceled, according to NPR.
The White House official said the project has secured $200 million in donations so far and provided a list of donors to NPR. Trump also claims the ballroom is exclusively paid for by himself and private donors. The donors include big names like Amazon, Google, Meta and Lockheed Martin.
Historical preservation experts voice criticism
On Friday, October 24, The DC Preservation League, which advocates for the care of historic buildings, said that “the demolition of the East Wing of the White House represents a collective loss -- a serious affront to United States history and architectural heritage,” according to The Art Newspaper.
They added that “the White House has connected generations, and demolition without meaningful public input and review ruptures that continuity,” according to The Art Newspaper. “Advocate for historic preservation, call for changes in policy and demand oversight of the architectural integrity of the White House to ensure that this significant legacy endures for future generations.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation expressed concern in a letter sent on Tuesday, October 21, to the National Park Service and other agencies, according to Newsweek.
Dr. Carol Quillen, the organization’s President and CEO, said that “we respectfully urge the Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes,” according to Newsweek.
Priya Jain, chair of the Society of Architectural Historians’ Heritage Conservation Committee, said that communication about how the ballroom project would affect the main structure of the building was confusing from the beginning, according to PBS.
“There was kind of an ambiguity about the way things were framed from the get-go,” Jain said, according to PBS, adding that the society’s letter asked for more clarification and transparency about The White House’s statements, since it’s a highly significant historical building.
The American Institute of Architects, in its August statement and letter about the project, stressed that while the project may be funded by private donors, “the White House is not a private building,” according to PBS.
In a follow-up statement on Friday, October 24, the institute condemned the demolition and urged decisionmakers to “halt any further irreversible alteration of the historic fabric,” and publish full documentation of the project’s scope, as well as budget and schedule and “reopen meaningful engagement” with the public, according to PBS.
The administration explains its stance
Trump argues that The White House needs a large entertaining space, criticizing past practices of presidents hosting large events in tents on the South Lawn, according to Newsweek.
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, addressed Trump’s false remarks when he stated that his planned ballroom project wouldn’t affect the existing structure of the White House. She claimed the administration was clear from the start that the East Wing would need to be "modernized,” Newsweek reported. She added that "plans changed" after Trump consulted with architects and construction firms working on the project.
Davis Ingle, White House Spokesperson, said that "President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House -- just like all of his predecessors did,” according to Politico.
His predecessors, however, obtained Congressional approval and input from historic preservations, following National Park Service procedures, which Trump and his team failed to do.
Reactions across party lines
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said on October 23, on The Senate Floor, that “Donald Trump is telling the American people: No Medicaid for you, ballroom for me,” according to MSNBC. “Trump is not focused on fixing health care, but rather on vanity projects, like this one, that don’t do anything to benefit the American people. They only benefit Trump and his ego.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) presented the renovation as a statement of work ethic. “President Trump’s made it clear, even during a government shutdown, he’s gonna keep working,” he said, touting the fact that private money is funding the project, according to MSNBC.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) said “I personally don’t have a problem with it,” according to MSNBC. “I’ve walked through the east part of the White House before. You just kind of walk through it. I know there’s some offices there.”
Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) said Trump is “trying to tear down the rule of law, trying to tear down our democratic institutions, he’s trying to tear down the hopes and dreams of so many,” according to MSNBC. “He’s tearing down the economy, and now he’s tearing down the East Wing of the White House.”
Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-sued-east-wing-demolition-10931917
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/23/east-wing-white-house-demolition-00620974
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5583959/white-house-east-wing-demolition-ballroom-trump
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/east-wing-white-house-photos-demolition
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/29/nx-s1-5583985/white-house-east-wing-women
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.286172/gov.uscourts.dcd.286172.1.0.pdf
https://sah.org/2025/10/16/statement-on-theproposed-ballroom-addition-at-the-white-house/#
Comments
this is so sad
Trump's...