The first images of the progress of the White House works were taken by satellite. As of this Thursday, October 23, they report the demolition of the east wing of the official residence of the President of the United States. The wing is to be replaced by an XXL ballroom desired by Donald Trump.
With the total destruction of this part of one of the most famous buildings in the world, the works took on an unexpected and much larger scale than initially announced by the American president.
When he unveiled the plans in July, he said the future ballroom “would not affect the current building” and would be “close, but not touching it.”
Following the start of work this week, the real estate magnate confirmed that ultimately his intention was to “really tear down” the east wing, leaving “some parts.”
But images transmitted to AFP by the American satellite imaging company Planet Labs PBC show that it has been completely demolished: a pile of gray and brown rubble now stands on the site of the former “east wing”, which housed, in particular, the first lady’s offices.
A 300 million dollar project
The White House Historical Association, an independent organization, assured, in an email seen by AFP, that “historical objects have been preserved and conserved.”
Donald Trump also estimated the cost of the works at $300 million on Wednesday, much more than the $200 million initially announced and the $250 million mentioned just a few days ago by the White House.
The executive’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed the amount of 300 million to an AFP journalist during a press conference, assuring that the project “would not cost taxpayers a single cent.”
The president announced that he would personally help finance the new ballroom, which will be used to host state dinners and other large events, with “generous patriots and magnificent companies.”
Donors and opponents
The White House communicated the list of donors to AFP on Thursday. It notably includes tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, as well as defense heavyweight Lockheed Martin.
Individual donors include the family of Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, as well as twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, made famous by the film “The Social Network” about the birth of Facebook.
However, this project is not unanimous, especially on the part of Hillary Clinton. The former US Secretary of State said in X: “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he destroyed it.” She occupied the east wing of the residence from 1993 to 2001 during her husband’s presidency.
In response, the White House denounced a “manufactured controversy” and justified this work by stating that it was “part of the long history of renovations and improvements” carried out by American presidents.
Source: BFM TV
