President Donald Trump is defending his decision to demolish the White House East Wing, saying the outdated structure “looked like hell” and stood in the way of creating what he calls “one of the greatest ballrooms in the world.”
In an interview Monday with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump described the East Wing as a once “beautiful, little, tiny structure” that had been “renovated, and expanded, and disbanded and columns ripped out,” leaving it “a poor, sad sight.” He said architects confirmed the East Wing needed to come down to make way for the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom. “I could have built the ballroom around it,” Trump said, “but it would not have been–” before adding proudly, “We’re building one of the greatest ballrooms in the world.”
The president emphasized that the $300 million project is being paid for entirely by private donors. “Zero money spent by the government,” he said, underscoring his administration’s focus on fiscal responsibility even in major restoration projects.
Trump’s comments came in response to questions about remarks from former First Lady Michelle Obama, who lamented the demolition and called the East Wing “the heart of the work.” But Trump dismissed the criticism, arguing that the building had strayed far from its historic roots. “The East Wing sounds good, right? It sounds good. But the East Wing, that building, was renovated 20 times, including adding a floor to the top, which was terrible,” he said. “It was [made] out of common brick, little, tiny windows. It looked like hell.”
Originally constructed in 1902 and expanded during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency in 1942, the East Wing had long housed the first lady’s offices. Reports have suggested that Melania Trump was initially hesitant about its demolition, but the president said she quickly came around. “She loved her little, tiny office,” he said. “But you know what? She’s very smart. In about one day she was thinking — if you would ask her now, she says it’s great.”
Trump said the new ballroom will be a centerpiece of the White House grounds — a project that honors tradition while embracing bold vision. “It had nothing to do with the original building,” he said of the East Wing. “And I didn’t want to sacrifice a great ballroom for an OK ballroom by leaving it right smack in the middle.”
In true Trump fashion, the president framed the decision as a balance between preserving history and pursuing excellence — replacing a “poor, sad sight” with a world-class addition funded without taxpayer dollars.
