"On Monday, an excavator was seen tearing into the entranceway to the East Wing, and by Tuesday, part of the wing itself had been demolished with one witness telling the Washington Post it appeared that more of the structure was slated for demolition. Employees of the neighboring Treasury Department, which has a front-row view of the construction work, were subsequently told not to share pictures of it. By Wednesday, the White House admitted the obvious: The East Wing is a goner."
"When the plans were first announced in July for a 90,000-square-foot addition at the site of the reconstructed East Wing, reassurances were made to preserve "the special history of the White House." "Nothing will be torn down," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the time. "It won't interfere with the current building. It'll be near it but not touching it," Trump said at the time, adding that it would pay "total respect" to the White House."
Photos showed heavy equipment tearing into the East Wing, revealing that the proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom expansion requires demolishing part of the White House. President Donald Trump said the renovation would be the "biggest change" and that the East Wing had to be torn down to "do it properly," calling it "very small" and not much considered. An excavator began work Monday and partial demolition followed, with nearby employees instructed not to share pictures. Earlier public reassurances promised no demolition and pledged to preserve the White House's special history.
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