Demolition Begins on Part of White House After Trump Promised Ballroom Wouldn’t ‘Interfere’ With Historic Structure

(Photo by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via AP)

Demolition has begun on a portion of the East Wing of the White House in preparation for Donald Trump’s $250 million ballroom project.

The Washington Post reported Monday, “Construction teams were demolishing a portion of the East Wing, with a backhoe ripping through the structure, according to a photo shared with The Washington Post and two people who witnessed the activity and spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe it.”

This, despite Trump’s “pledge that construction of the $250 million addition wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing” historic building, the report said.

“It won’t interfere with the current building. It won’t be,” Trump said during an executive order signing in July. “It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.”

The Post wrote that “Officials declined to provide an explanation for Trump’s earlier comments that the new construction would not interfere with the existing building,” adding, “Officials have separately said that the ballroom would replace the East Wing, noting the many changes made to that structure long before Trump’s presidency.”

The East Wing has typically been used by the first lady and her staff while the president’s domain has been situated in the West Wing.

Trump told tech executives “that the project was fully financed” thanks to donations “as large as $25 million from dozens of companies, including Apple, Amazon, Lockheed Martin and Coinbase.”

Trump has already torn up the Rose Garden lawn to make way for a patio. He’s also floating the idea of a triumphal arch that would “stand in the middle of the traffic roundabout at the end of Arlington Memorial Bridge, across from the Lincoln Memorial,” The New York Times reported.