Updated October 23, 2025 at 5:15 PM PDT

All that's left of the East Wing of the White House is a pile of rubble.

A White House official not authorized to speak on the record tells NPR the demolition phase of President Trump's project to build a 90,000 square foot ballroom, is ahead of schedule.

Although Trump initially said the project wouldn't "interfere with the current building" and would be "near it but not touching it," he explained Wednesday that "in order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure."

The East Wing demolition, the White House official said, is going directly up to the edge of the residence and includes tearing down the East Garden Room, Family Theater and East Colonnade, as well as the complex of offices. The sight of excavators tearing into the

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