Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House on Oct. 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
The White House on Tuesday dismissed anger over the demolition of parts of the building’s East Wing to build a new ballroom at the behest of President Donald Trump.
“In the latest instance of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House,” the White House said in a statement.
The White House called the ballroom “a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions” by prior presidents.
Photos of construction workers tearing down parts of the building went viral online Monday, triggering public anger over the planned 90,000-square-foot, $250 million ballroom.
“You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction to the back,” Trump said during a Rose Garden event Tuesday. “That’s music to my ears. I love that sound. Other people don’t like it. I love it.”
In July, Trump said that construction of the ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building.”
“It’ll be near it but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” Trump said of the White House at the time.
The Treasury Department has told staff not to share photos of the East Wing, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC on Tuesday. The department is located next to the White House, and has a clear view of the demolition work.
“Carelessly shared photographs of the White House complex during this process could potentially reveal sensitive items, including security features or confidential structural details,” the Treasury spokesperson told CNBC.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have urged our employees to avoid sharing these images.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported Treasury’s message to employees.
“Trump’s billionaire ballroom. This is a disgrace. Welcome to the Second Gilded Age,” Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., tweeted Monday, above a photo from The Washington Post showing the demolition work.
Trump has said that he and private donors will finance the construction of the ballroom.
Comcast, the current parent company of CNBC, was on a list of top donors to the ballroom’s construction. It is unclear how much Comcast and other donors contributed. CNBC will spin off from Comcast before the end of this year under a new parent company Versant.
