Ex-Biden Aide Says There’s No ‘Question’ Trump Ballroom Is ‘Needed’

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Michael LaRosa, a former aide to Jill Biden, described the demolition of the White House’s East Wing as “sad” on Friday and added that there was “no question” that a ballroom was “probably needed.”

The remarks came after demolition work concluded Thursday, just one day after The New York Times reported that the White House East Wing would be demolished in its “entirety” to make way for Trump’s new ballroom construction project, despite the president’s prior promise that work would not “interfere with the current building.”

LaRosa, who served as press secretary to the former First Lady, appeared Friday morning on Sunrise on The Hill where he said that he was “heartbroken” over the loss of his old office but acknowledged that presidential updates to the White House were a long-standing tradition.

“It’s sad. I had a really wonderful office that I squatted in an hour or two after the inauguration ended, and remained there for nearly two years,” he said.

He continued: “It’s heartbreaking, and I’m sentimental about it and sad. At the same time, I think every first family, every president should play a role in evolving the White House and updating it and modernizing it and sometimes expanding it.”

“I don’t think there’s any question that a ballroom is probably needed,” he added.

LaRosa’s view, however, is at odds with many preservationist critics. Images of the destruction caused such backlash reportedly prompted the Secret Service to block media access to Ellipse Park, where construction crews had been filmed tearing down the structure.

Those opposing the project have also protested that costs for the privately funded ballroom project had ballooned from $200 million to $300 million.