‘Bigger than White House…’: Trump's East Wing ballroom model leaked; first photos out
As Trump confirmed that the White House's East Wing will be torn down in its entirety, photos of the planned ballroom's model surfaced
As President Donald Trump confirmed that the White House's iconic East Wing will be torn down in its entirety, photos of the planned ballroom's model kept in the Oval Office have surfaced. This comes days after the president first announced his plans for a huge $300-million ballroom.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he decided to dismantle the East Wing after consulting architects that ‘really knocking it down’ was preferable to a partial demolition. This will include First Lady Melania Trump's office and several other key parts of the wing.
The president added that the new 90,000-square-foot ballroom will have a capacity of 1,000 people and is needed to host large state dinners and other events that currently have to be held in a tent.
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After photos of Trump's ballroom model surfaced, social media users quickly pointed out that the new structure is much bigger than the White House's main building.
“Bigger than the white house itself,” one person said on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“This f*****g monstrosity is bigger than main White House building,” another one tweeted.
Meanwhile, the National Trust for Historic Preservation warned the administration about the new construction.
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"We are deeply concerned that the massing and height of the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself -- (which) is 55,000 square feet -- and may also permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House with its two smaller, and lower, East and West Wings," it said in a letter on Tuesday.
Earlier this week, dramatic photos of the demolition work showed construction equipment tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next to the East Wing.
(With AP inputs)
