The White House will undergo a $200 million extensive renovation of its East Wing, President Donald Trump’s latest construction project of the executive mansion.
Construction will begin in September on an approximately 90,000 square foot White House state ballroom with a 650-person seating capacity, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday. Trump and other “patriot donors” will pay for the $200 million-dollar renovation, according to the White House website.
Prior presidents — and Trump — have hosted large events at the White House in large tents set up on the South Lawn.
The East Wing will also undergo a “modernization” that requires the offices it holds – including the first lady’s office – be relocated during construction, Leavitt said.
This is the latest, and most expensive, construction in a line of recent White House renovations under Trump. Earlier this year, Trump ordered the grass of the White House Rose Garden be paved over and replaced with a hard-surfaced patio. Trump has also overseen a gold interior overhaul of the Oval Office and the installation of new flagpoles on the North and South lawns.
Leavitt said construction is due to be completed by the end of Trump’s term.
