President Trump on Wednesday defended "knocking" down the White House East Wing at a cost of $300 million after previously saying his ballroom construction plans "won't interfere with the current building."

The big picture: Trump is facing criticism over the construction that was initially projected to cost $200 million, with the Washington, D.C.-based National Trust for Historic Preservation saying in a letter to administration officials this week that the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom "will overwhelm the White House itself," which is some 55,000 square feet.

Driving the news: A reporter said to Trump in the Oval Office Wednesday that many people were surprised that the entire East Wing would be demolished, after the president said in July that the ballroom would be near the build

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