Treasury Secretary Approves East Wing Demolition

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he endorsed President Donald Trump demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build a $300 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom.

The East Wing of the White House was demolished on Thursday to begin construction of the new ballroom. Preservation groups have expressed concern over the construction because there was little communication on how it would affect the structure of the main building. In July, Trump initially said the ballroom construction project wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.”

“It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” Trump said in July.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case. The entire East Wing was torn down last week.

When “Meet The Press” host Kristen Welker asked Bessent why Trump didn’t tell the public that the entire East Wing would be torn down, Bessent defended Trump, saying asbestos or mold could have led to the destruction.

“I completely endorse what the president is doing here with the ballroom, and I assume that maybe parts of the East Wing could have been asbestos, could have been mold, could have not fit with the design,” Bessent said.

It’s unclear if the White House had asbestos or mold. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, a nonprofit aimed at preventing asbestos exposure, called on the administration to be transparent with its safety measures during the demolition to “reaffirm its commitment to prevention, accountability, and the protection of public health in all federal construction projects.” The organization said the East Wing was built “during a period of extensive asbestos use in government buildings.”

Bessent said the construction was a “judgment call” from Trump, who is a “master builder” and the ballroom will be a “magnificent structure.”

Trump’s ballroom, which will reportedly look a lot like the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida club, is being built to better accommodate larger social events. It will seat 650 people and be a “ornately designed and carefully crafted space.”