Melania Trump didn't support White House East Wing demolition, report says

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Oct 28, 2025

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First lady Melania Trump reportedly didn’t support her husband’s decision to order demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make room for his glitzy $300 million ballroom.

The president’s wife privately asked Donald Trump to spare the historic wing that housed her offices and has been home to first ladies’ offices for decades, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Melania Trump “raised concerns about tearing down the East Wing” and “told associates it wasn’t her project,” the paper reported, citing unnamed White House sources.

The first lady hasn’t publicly commented on the razing of the space where her offices were.

Melania Trump lives mostly in New York and has rarely visited the White House for official events since her husband returned to power after winning a historic second term.

The White House didn’t comment on the report but defended the ballroom project as a win for the American people.

“President Trump is a builder at heart,” said Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman. “Make no mistake: The newly improved East Wing and brand new ballroom will make the People’s House more useful and beautiful for generations of presidents, and Americans, to come.”

Trump initially said the ballroom would rise adjacent to the East Wing, but vowed it wouldn’t touch the existing structure, insisting he’s “a big fan” of the White House.

But this month construction equipment abruptly clawed down the entire wing, leaving only a pile of rubble on the spot where past first ladies planned state dinners and history-shifting projects.

Trump has brushed off demands from preservationists that he seek approval or even public input for the project, which he says will be bankrolled by private donors.

He first said the ballroom would cost $200 million but now admits the price tag will be at least 50% higher than that.

Since returning to office, Trump has sought to remake the White House to suit his taste. He paved over the Rose Garden to create a patio and installed extensive gold trimming in the Oval Office. He has floated plans to build an ornate arch, similar to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.

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