During the summer of 2025, President Donald Trump announced his plans to build a new ballroom in the East Wing of the White House.

A statement released by the White House in July stated, “Presidents, Administrations, and White House Staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed.”

The 90,000 square foot space will have a capacity of 999 people, an increase from the 650 people that the White House originally said it would be able to hold. 

The project’s construction team will be led by Clark Construction, with engineering led by AECOM.

The lead architect for the project will be James McCrery, a founder of McCrery Architects who once designed the Supreme Court gift shop and is well known for his classical architectural designs. 

The ballroom is expected to cost around $300 million, which is $100 million more than what was originally estimated in July. 

This funding comes from numerous private donors, including tech giants like Amazon, Apple and Google, along with wealthy individuals like Shari and Edward Glazer, who own Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Demolition crews began tearing down large portions of the East Wing in October 2025 despite not having full approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction and renovations of government buildings in the Washington area. 

However, White House officials have asserted that the NCPC does not have a role in stopping demolition. Still, the White House intends to submit construction plans once the project reaches the construction phase.

A Yahoo News-YouGov poll has shown that 61% of Americans disagree with the construction of a ballroom in the East Wing, and 55% of Americans believe that the construction of the ballroom does not pay respect to the history of existing White House buildings. 

These criticisms have raised concerns about the implications of privately funding a government building, especially one located in the White House complex.

“I view this enormous ballroom as an ethics nightmare,” Richard Painter, a former chief ethics lawyer for the George W. Bush White House, told the BBC.

“It’s using access to the White House to raise money… These corporations all want something from the government.”

Preservation groups have also expressed concerns about the project, arguing that demolishing part of the East Wing would threaten the historical integrity of the White House.

“There’s nothing wrong with a president doing stuff,” Shelly Repp, the chair of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, a nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding Washington’s historic distinction, stated.

“The question is, what is he doing? In this case, he’s doing something that doesn’t fit within the character of the White House.”

Despite backlash, the White House has defended the project as a necessary upgrade for future administrations to be able to hold larger events. 

The ballroom is expected to be completed well before the end of Trump’s term in January 2029.