Name: Fallout grows after crews demolish White House East Wing
Uploaded: 2025-10-24T00:18:52.544Z
Duration: 2 min 34 s
Description: Over the span of three days, construction crews demolished the East Wing of the White House. Critics are raising concerns about the lack of transparency.

Over the span of three days, construction crews demolished the East Wing of the White House. Critics are raising concerns about the lack of transparency.

Washington

The East Wing of the White House, a historic addition built a century after the original structure, has been demolished over three days to make space for a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The project has drawn criticism for its secrecy and the involvement of donors with government interests, such as Palantir and the owners of Gemini, a cryptocurrency company. 

Democratic lawmakers have requested more details about the architectural plans and donor list, citing potential conflicts of interest. The cost of the project has risen to $300 million, with the administration claiming to have raised $350 million. The White House has defended the decision, stating that legal requirements were met for the demolition phase and dismissing criticism as politically motivated.

Fallout grows after crews demolish White House East Wing

The White House opened 225 years ago next week. The East Wing was added a century later. Now that East Wing, with all the history it contained, is gone, torn down to make way for a grand ballroom. Weisha Zhang reports the president's spokesperson was on the defensive today against the building criticism. Over the span of three days, construction crews demolished the East Wing of the White House. Tonight, side-by-side satellite images show all of it has been reduced to rubble, making room for President Trump's 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Can the president tear down anything he wants without oversight? Could he demolish this building or, say, the Jefferson Memorial? When it comes to phase one of this project, the tearing down of the current East Wing structure, a submission is not required legally for that. Only for vertical construction will a submission be required. So there's been total secrecy. This is an iconic structure. Democratic Missouri Congressman Jared Huffman co-wrote a letter to the White House demanding details about the project, including architectural plans and a full list of donors. They include software company Palantir, which has several active government contracts, and the owners of Gemini, a crypto company that have donated more than $3 million to pro-Trump organizations and successfully lobbied to remove a nominee for the government agency that regulates crypto. The folks who are being asked to pay for this have raging conflicts of interest. The price tag has ballooned to $300 million, up by $100 million from the original estimate. Trump responded to critics who want more information. I haven't been transparent. That some of your critics feel is some sort of a rebuke. I've shown this to everybody that would listen. Well, President Trump says the administration has raised $350 million to build the ballroom, which is more than the current price tag. As for a response to that letter from the Democrats, the White House says Democrats are more concerned with President Trump's, quote, historic beautification of the White House than the government shutdown. And separately here, Weijia, we're getting some late-breaking news about how the shutdown is impacting air travel. What can you tell us about that? That's right. Tonight, the FAA announced that air traffic control staffing issues are delaying travel at airports right here in Washington, New York, Newark, and in Houston. The government shutdown is now in its 23rd day. Okay, Weijia Jiang, thanks so much.

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