The photos really speak for themselves. This week, workers began demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for President Trump’s new 90,000-square-foot ballroom that will be financed by companies like Amazon and Palantir. Although the administration tried to keep the destruction a secret, images and video of the historic public building being torn to shreds by a construction crew went viral. See for yourself below.
The East Wing newly built in 1902
A fountain outside the newly constructed East Wing of the White House. California. 1902. (Photo by Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
The East Wing decorated with the theme “We, the People” for the 2022 holiday season
Christmas decorations are seen at the East Wing entrance during a media preview of the 2022 holiday season at the White House in Washington, DC, November 28, 2022. – We the People is the theme of the 2022 holiday season at the White House. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
East wing demolished
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 23: An excavator works to clear rubble after the demolition of the East Wing of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 22: A general view of construction work underway on the White House grounds in Washington, DC, United States on October 22, 2025. The project, announced by US President Donald Trump, includes the construction of a new White House Ballroom and the complete modernization of the East Wing. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 23: The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 21: Photographers and pedestrians stop to watch the facade of the East Wing of the White House being demolished by work crews on October 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 23: An excavator works to clear rubble after the demolition of the East Wing of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images)
People watch along a fence as the demolition of the East Wing of the White House begins as construction begins on President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom, in Washington, DC, October 23, 2025. Trump told reporters at an event in the Oval Office that he decided, after consulting with architects, that “really tearing it down” was preferable to partial demolition. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump shows a rendering of the East Wing of the White House being demolished to build a ballroom as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, October 22, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON/AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 22: A general view of construction work underway on the White House grounds in Washington, DC, United States, October 22, 2025. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
