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Controversy surrounds Donald Trump ’s lavish White House State Ballroom, which is set to add some 90,000 square feet of “ornately designed and carefully crafted space” seating upwards of 650 people. Construction of the vast structure, which will dwarf the existing White House, has required the complete demolition of the historic residence’s East Wing, despite an earlier Trump claim that the ballroom wouldn’t “interfere with the current building,” and it would be “It will be near it but not touching it." Hillary Clinton , who was defeated by Trump in the 2016 US presidential election, slammed the grandiose plans, saying: “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.” But other concerns surrounding the gigantic neoclassical building project are reportedly coming from a little closer to home. The president’s wife Melania Trump has "privately voiced frustration" that the historic East Wing has been razed to make way for the ballroom. According to The Wall Street Journal , the Slovenian-born ex-model has stressed to friends that the demolition was “not her project,” distancing herself from her husband’s actions. The East Wing, which has traditionally housed the first lady’s office and staff, was built in 1902. It has been expanded and modernised on a number of occasions, most notably in 1942, when refurbishment was used as cover for the construction of the bombproof Presidential Emergency Operations Center. That high-security bunker was used by then-vice-president Dick Cheney and his staff during the 9/11 attacks , and Trump himself during some of the George Floyd protests in 2020. While Melania, 55, herself has not spoken publicly about the ballroom project, her former chief of staff spoke of her own anger at seeing the East Wing torn down. Stephanie Grisham told CNN’s Erin Burnett that watching the demolition “breaks her heart.” “It’s something that could never be put back,” she said. “I wish they would have gone about it in a better way… I can’t help wonder what [Melania] thinks of how all of this is taking place.” Another former White House staffer – Michael LaRosa, who served as press secretary to then-first lady Jill Biden – said that while he conceded a larger events space was required, “I understand a lot of the sadness around the East Wing, because I feel it myself.” In a post on social media network X, the official Democratic Party pointed out that “Maintaining the East Wing, including its holiday decorations, has historically been the first lady’s responsibility,” before adding Melania’s embarrassing 2018 slip: “Who gives a f*** about Christmas ?” The project was originally budgeted at $200 million but within days of construction getting under way, the expected final cost has already ballooned to $300 million. Trump once claimed he’d bear the cost personally, but it has since emerged that a long list of high-profile donors have been chipping in for the giant bulletproof party venue. Hillary Clinton's daughter Chelsea has written a scathing criticism of Trump's action, saying: "Renovations aren’t inherently objectionable because of who orders them or who pays for them. "But authority is not the same as stewardship. Stewardship requires transparency, consultation and an accounting for history." True to form, Trump is making use of the rubble from the demolished East Wing to improve his golf game. Trucks carrying soil and other debris from the construction site have been seen unloading at the nearby East Potomac Golf Links, which Trump has reportedly been considering renaming as the Washington National Golf Course and rebranding it in line with Trump properties around the world . The Mirror reached out to Mrs Trump's representatives for a comment, but has yet to receive a reply.
