Construction crews began tearing down the White House’s East Wing late Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, to make way for President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom, surprising many observers and drawing swift backlash from preservationists.
Demolition started late Monday with little public notice, according to reporting and photos published this week. The East Wing — built in 1902 and expanded in 1942 — has long served as the primary visitors’ entrance and housed the first lady’s offices and staff. The Washington Post reported that much of the structure was taken down on Tuesday and that officials say the wing will be modernized and rebuilt as part of the project. PBS and CBS News have documented the site’s role and the removal work now underway, including the relocation of East Wing offices during construction.
In a first-person column for The Nation, Joan Walsh wrote that crews moved in “in the dead of Monday night” and argued the teardown is meant to unnerve opponents. She cited the wing’s symbolic role — often associated with first ladies and public tours — and repeated a line frequently attributed to former first lady Betty Ford: “If the West Wing is the mind of the nation, then the East Wing is the heart.” (Various outlets trace the quote through former first lady staffers.) Walsh also wrote that she encountered CNN’s Wolf Blitzer near the site as journalists sought a view of the work and, in hyperbolic fashion, likened the damage she saw to images from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon. Those characterizations are her opinion.
The teardown comes days after nationwide “No Kings” protests against Trump’s policies. Organizers estimated roughly 7 million people participated across thousands of events, making it one of the largest single-day demonstrations in recent years; other independent tallies placed turnout somewhat lower. While those figures are estimates, multiple outlets reported large crowds across major cities.
Public access around portions of the White House complex has been restricted during the work. The Post reported that some vantage points were closed and that nearby Treasury Department employees were warned not to share photos of the construction. Reuters described tourists gathering outside the grounds, with some expressing shock and others defending the project.
Images of the demolition aired alongside coverage of aggressive federal immigration enforcement in New York. The Associated Press and local outlets reported that agents from ICE and Border Patrol conducted a Canal Street sweep in Manhattan’s Chinatown on Oct. 21 targeting counterfeit-goods vendors, leading to detentions and tense confrontations with protesters. Some witnesses said Black and African vendors were disproportionately questioned; DHS said it was a targeted operation and noted arrests, including for assault on an officer.
NPR framed the East Wing demolition as part of Trump’s broader effort to remake the presidency in his image — tying physical changes and curated imagery to how he wields power. That analysis followed preservationists’ warnings, including a letter from the National Trust for Historic Preservation urging a pause while federal review bodies are consulted. White House officials have said the ballroom is privately funded and that historic artifacts have been preserved, adding that the East Wing will be rebuilt as part of the project. Notably, the White House is exempt from certain preservation procedures under federal law, though other reviews have historically been sought for changes on the campus.
As reporters canvassed the South Lawn area, Walsh wrote that some tourists snapped photos of the residence’s intact facade, unaware of the scope of demolition from that vantage. She also recounted an exchange with a man selling MAGA hats who predicted Trump would build a “twice as great” ballroom and said wealthy friends would help pay for it, naming Sean “Diddy” Combs. Combs, the music executive, was sentenced on Oct. 3, 2025, to 50 months in federal prison on two Mann Act counts of transportation to engage in prostitution — a separate matter unrelated to the White House project.
What remains undisputed is the pace and scale of change: demolition began Oct. 20, the East Wing’s historic functions are displaced for now, and the administration says a rebuilt wing and a large new ballroom will follow. How the project is reviewed — and how quickly it proceeds — will continue to draw scrutiny from preservationists, lawmakers, and the public.
