Geline Salac

White House East Wing demolition breaks centuries of presidential norms - analyst

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white house demolition

Reuters Wires

<p>US President Donald Trump’s “virtually unprecedented” decision to <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/10/23/trump-confirms-demolishing-white-house-s-entire-east-wing-0825">demolish the East Wing</a> of the White House sidesteps mandated consultations and breaks with centuries of presidential norms, an expert on historic preservation law told Reuters on Thursday (October 23). </p><p>Demolition workers on Monday (October 20) began ripping down the section of the White House that holds offices for the first lady and staff to make way for Trump&#x27;s new ballroom. Trump had previously said the project would not interfere with the existing U.S. landmark, but it has now emerged that the full East Wing will be demolished. </p><p>Sara Bronin, an architect and professor of law at the George Washington University, told Reuters that while the White House is a “living building” that other presidents have renovated and added to, the kind of large scale “unilateral action” Trump has undertaken is unprecedented. </p><p>“The White House is one of the most iconic buildings in the United States, and it deserves our protection,” said Bronin, who has previously headed the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent federal agency, which oversees the preservation of historical sites in the United States.</p><p>“Some federal laws do require the president to undertake a consultation with particular bodies that have jurisdiction at a minimum and advising capacity over what happens at the White House,” Bronin said. However, the current laws are not stringent enough to prevent the president from acting unilaterally.</p><p>“Congress really should take a hard look at the statutes that are on the books and figure out whether they need to strengthen them,” she added.</p><p>The demolition of part of one of the most historic buildings in the United States has sparked an angry outcry from many Democrats and questions about whether the Trump administration followed proper protocols. The White House has dismissed the criticism as &quot;manufactured outrage.&quot;</p><p>On Thursday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump’s ballroom plan. </p><p>“They attack him for everything he does,” Johnson said of the Democrats. “President Trump&#x27;s going to add the greatest improvement to the White House in the history of the building since it was originally constructed,” he added.</p><p>The White House said on Tuesday (October 21) it would submit plans for the ballroom construction for review by the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees federal construction in Washington and neighboring states, even though demolition had already begun.</p><p>The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Tuesday asked the Trump administration to pause the demolition until the planning commission review was completed. Its letter expressed concern that the proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom &quot;will overwhelm the White House itself.&quot; The White House is 55,000 square feet.</p><p>Sara Bronin of GW Law, said that there are serious concerns about the aesthetics of the planned ballroom, given its reported size and Trump’s history of adding gilding and other additions she said are “truly inconsistent with the historic nature of the building and I would argue with American values.”</p><p>Trump on Wednesday (October 22) said the project would cost $300 million, an increase from its initial $200 million price tag announced in July. He says he and private donors are paying for the ballroom, but he has not released full financing details.</p><p>(Production: Ashraf Fahim; Kevin Fogarty; Julio-Cesar Chavez)</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dU1sqtDHgIw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/29qxApyEHTc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oz9gN8q2AyY?&amp;t=3s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>US President Donald Trump’s “virtually unprecedented” decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House sidesteps mandated consultations and breaks with centuries of presidential norms, an expert on historic preservation law told Reuters on Thursday.</p>

US President Donald Trump’s “virtually unprecedented” decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House sidesteps mandated consultations and breaks with centuries of presidential norms, an expert on historic preservation law told Reuters on Thursday.

White House East Wing demolition breaks centuries of presidential norms - analyst

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White House East Wing demolition breaks centuries of presidential norms - analyst

Reuters

Published Oct 24, 2025 08:58 AM PHT

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Updated Oct 24, 2025 08:59 AM PHT

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