The Trump administration is already moving full-steam ahead with a $250 million White House ballroom project, but said Tuesday it would eventually submit plans for federal review despite the fact that demolition of the East Wing is well underway, Reuters reports. The White House said only that it will submit project plans to the National Capital Planning Commission "soon." President Trump, who has made other changes to the executive mansion since taking office, appeared to relish the construction noise, calling it "music" that "reminds me of money" while speaking to Republican lawmakers who were at the White House Tuesday.
Critics said the review process should have come before demolition started, especially since Trump previously pledged the project wouldn't interfere with the historic landmark. A former NCPC commissioner said demolition and new construction are "linked" and that a review—like the one conducted for a tennis pavilion built during Trump's first term—could have avoided the public outcry sparked by surprise images of the White House under construction. By Tuesday, much of the East Wing had been destroyed, per the Washington Post. The White House has previously said it would be rebuilt in "entirety."
The Trump administration dismissed criticism as "manufactured outrage," pointing to previous renovations by past presidents dating back to Theodore Roosevelt. Trump's team insists the project will be funded by the president and donors, not taxpayer dollars, though some have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. The White House is largely exempt from the National Historic Preservation Act, but preservationists argued best practices were ignored. The Congress-chartered National Trust for Historic Preservation submitted a letter asking the White House to pause the demolition until plans for the renovation have been reviewed, CBS News reports. (The Treasury Department has instructed employees not to share photos of the construction site.)
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