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Comedian Bill Maher joked on Friday night that he was “kind of jealous” of the speed with which President Donald Trump got the East Wing of the White House demolished, though he also warned: “The symbolism is he’s not leaving; that’s what bothered me about it.” Newsweek contacted the White House for comment on Saturday via email outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters This week saw the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, which used to house the first lady’s offices, to make way for a new 90,000 square foot state ballroom that is planned to hold up to 650 people. The move caused controversy with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, who accused the president of pursuing a “vanity project,” while Trump insisted the East Wing was “ready to be replaced.” Trump said a new hosting venue at the White House had been wanted “for at least 150 years,” adding the East Wing had been “very, very much changed from what it was originally.” Initially, the new White House ball room was estimated to cost $200 million, though this has since been increased to $300 million. According to Trump, the money is coming from private donors. What To Know Satellite photographs provided to Newsweek by Planet, a company that specializes in satellite photography, showed the East Wing of the White House had been completely demolished as of October 23. According to the New York Times, which cited a White House official, the demolition work began on October 20. Maher addressed the East Wing’s demolition during his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday. “Presidents have changed the White House in little ways before, but you know they always got approval from Congress…Now as a constitutionalist, I must say I find this appalling. As the guy who took three years to get my f****** solar panels in I’m kind of jealous. I’m kind of in awe because I live in LA where you need 13 permits to put a bird feeder on your deck,” Maher said. A clip of Maher’s remarks was shared on X by Mario Nawfal, a business and politics commentator, where it has currently been viewed over 80,000 times. Maher later discussed the issue with Michael Steele, formerly chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and a Trump critic, and Kate Bedingfield who served as White House Communications Director under former President Joe Biden. “President’s do change the buildings, [Richard] Nixon put in a bowling alley, [Barack] Obama made the tennis court a basketball court, I can’t get this mad about everything,” the comedian said. Steele replied: “I’m not mad. It’s not a question about being mad. It’s a question of understanding what the symbolism is.” Maher said that “the symbolism” about the construction of the new ballroom “is he’s not leaving, that’s what bothers me about it” to which Steele responded, “Exactly.” Bedingfield added: “If this was the only impulsive reckless driven by his own desire for self-aggrandizement—if this was the only thing, he’d done on that front then I’d give you it’s just a building. But it’s not, it’s part of a manner of governing that is tearing at some of the institutional foundations of this country and that’s scary.” This clip was shared on X by the “Blue Georgia” account where it has been viewed over 190,000 so far. A worker clears rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on October 23 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images) What People Are Saying Addressing reporters about the demolition on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “This phase one that we’re now in was necessary. The president wants to do right by the People’s House.” White House spokesperson David Ingle previously told Newsweek: “President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense. These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House.” Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrote on X on Monday: “Oh you’re trying to say the cost of living is skyrocketing? Donald Trump can’t hear you over the sound of bulldozers demolishing a wing of the White House to build a new grand ballroom.” What Happens Next? It remains to be seen how the public and politicians will view the new White House ballroom once construction has been completed, a precise date for which has not been announced.
