As demolition continued on Wednesday, Oct. 22, politicians expressed mixed reactions over President Donald Trump‘s order to tear down part of the East Wing in the White House to build a ballroom.
At the same time, the White House snapped back, saying the tear down and refurbishing was not tax-payer funded, and it was not the first time the historic presidential residence had been remodeled.
The teardown was underway as the United States endured its 22nd day of a federal government shutdown, leaving some federal employees without paychecks and other workers facing layoffs.
Construction workers began demolishing the facade of the East Wing of the home on Monday, Oct. 20. The demo is part of Trump’s nearly $200 million, 90,000-square-foot expansion to build a ballroom on the eastern side of the White House.
“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” former New York Senator and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton posted on X on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the day after demolition began.
The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on October 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House.
The tear down marked the first time a president ordered major construction to the White House in nearly eight decades.
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the demo.
“The White House has been renovated many times,” Johnson told reporters, calling it the “greatest improvement to the White House in the history of the building. The ballroom is going to be glorious. It’s gonna be used for everybody. And by the way, hey, Democrats, if you win the White House back, you get to use it too.”
Politicians react to White House demo, rebuild
Here’s more reactions from Republican and Democratic politicians over the demolition:
What has Trump said about the White House demolition?
During a news conference at The White House on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Trump told reporters the construction is not tax-payer funded and “wealthy donors” are paying for the project. The president also praised the East Wing demolition calling it “beautiful construction.”
“We’re putting up our own money, the government is paying for nothing,” Trump said.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Diwali celebration in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 21, 2025.
Trump administration’s response to White House demolition
White House officials also clapped back at the rumblings this week.
“For more than a century, U.S. Presidents have been renovating, expanding, and modernizing the White House to meet the needs of the present day,” the White House Rapid Response team wrote in post on X.
The post lists examples of prior construction at the residence, including as far back as the 1902 construction of the West Wing and most recent 2009 work that turned a tennis court into a basketball court.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House demolition garners reactions from politicians
