Trump says White House East Wing to be torn down

US President Donald Trump has said the “existing structure” of the East Wing of the White House will need to be demolished to build a new $250m (£186m) ballroom.

Crews began demolishing parts of the structure on Monday, and two administration officials previously told US affiliate BBC CBS that the building would be completely demolished by the weekend.

This marks a significant expansion of the construction project announced in the summer. Trump previously said the ballroom addition “would not interfere with the current building.”

He rejected accusations that he was not transparent about the scale of the work, telling reporters on Wednesday: “I think we have been more transparent than anyone has ever been.”

The White House has served as the historic home of the President of the United States for two centuries. The east wing was built in 1902 and was last renovated in 1942.

This is the part of the White House that houses the offices of the First Lady and other staff, as well as meetings and special events.

Trump said the building has undergone several changes over the years and is “very, very different from what it was originally.”

He added that it was “never considered to be a big deal” and that change had been expected for “at least 150 years.”

construction was fully financed Trump and “some of my donor friends.” He added that the military is also involved.

The US President announced the start of construction in a social media post on Monday, saying “ground has broken” on the “much-needed” ballroom.

He said the East Wing is “completely separate” from the White House, although it is adjacent to the main structure.

Trump administration officials told CBS that the East Wing had always had to be upgraded to improve security and technology, but during the planning process it became clear that the best option would be to demolish the entire East Wing.

His comments came after the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a Washington-based nonprofit that protects historic U.S. sites, wrote a letter to White House officials saying it was “deeply concerned” about the project.

The foundation asked Trump to halt demolition work, arguing that the White House is a national historic landmark and that officials need to conduct a public review of the ballroom plan.

Some Democrats criticized the update, including Hillary Clinton, who ran against Trump for the US presidency in 2016.

In a post on X, she wrote that the White House was not Trump's home and “he's ruining it.”