A demolition crew takes apart the facade of the East Wing of the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is being built, in Washington, D.C., October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

After the viral optics of a demolished East Wing at the White House led the Trump administration to warn staff at the Treasury Department not to post any more pictures of it, CNN's Jim Sciutto reported on X that the Secret Service closed access to the park where journalists had been snapping photos.

"Look away! New: US Secret Service has closed access to the Ellipse park where journalists had been capturing live images of the East Wing demolition. CNN had a photojournalist capturing live images of the demolition at the time. Reuters was also ushered out of the park," Scuitto posted along with a video showing the demo.

General consensus to the park closure was, in the words of one snarky commenter, "'The most transparent administration in U.S. history' sure does love to hide what they’re doing from the public."

Another agreed, adding, "Most transparent administration in history! [S]ome exclusions apply."

Kansas media professional Glenn Craven wrote, "Nothing says 'most transparent administration' like closing a public park so nobody can watch the demolition of the East Wing of 'The People’s House.'"

Author Greg Cantwell said, "I think they're beginning to realize this video is a startling accurate representation of what Trump is doing to our country: he's tearing it down."