By New York Times
Photos: NYT\YouTube Screenshots
When Trump first announced his plans for his $300 million White House ballroom, he pledged to leave the East Wing alone.
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| Alex Kent for The New York Times |
“It won’t interfere with the current building. It’ll be near it but not touching it,” Trump said. “And pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
Yesterday, The Times reported that Trump now plans to demolish the entire East Wing for the project.
The White House determined razing the structure would be cheaper and more structurally sound than building Trump’s 90,000-square-foot ballroom as an addition, an administration official said.
The teardown could be finished as soon as this weekend.
It would be a swift farewell to a structure built at the turn of the 20th century, during administration of Theodore Roosevelt, and which for decades has housed the offices of the first lady and her staff.
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| Marco Hernandez/The New York Times |
