White House ballroom vanity project: Trump's unprecedented destruction

Headline:  WJLA, 12/28/2025

Christian Flores reports:

Historian Dr. Matthew Dallek is a professor at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management, and told 7News the demolition of the East Wing is different than other additions to the White House. "Obviously, there have been a number of changes at The White House over the decades. The White House has had to be modernized, renovated. It was crumbling when Truman was president and underwent a major renovation. Presidents have added a swimming pool, bowling alley. But, there's really nothing comparable. No president has taken a literal wrecking ball to a historic and iconic part of The White House without any pre-approval," Dallek said. "The expectation was that there would be a process that would be filed, that the historical society, the preservationist groups would be consulted, that plans would be reviewed."  [emphasis added]

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