Under half of Democrats and Republicans approve of the demolition of the White House’s East Wing, according to YouGov polling results released this week. This demolition was carried out this week to make room for a new ballroom.
According to the poll results, posted on X Wednesday, just 10% of Democrats approve of the demolition of the White House’s largest state room (77% disapproved), along with 16% of independents (54% disapproved). Considerably more Republicans approved of the demolition (45%, compared to 28% who disapproved).
Overall, more Americans disapproved of the demolition than approved of it at 53% and 24%. As for the $250 million ballroom itself – a project President Donald Trump has been championing since before his first term – and other renovations at the White House such as the Rose Garden patio, 33% of all Americans approve of them and half disapprove of them.
Throughout its history, the East Room has served many purposes and it has been renovated a number of times, according to the White House Historical Association.
It was designed by James Hoban and first President George Washington to serve as a public audience room, was used by former First Lady Abigail Adams to hang up laundry to dry, hosted parties with waltzing and President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral.
“The East Wing was constructed in 1902 and has been renovated and changed many times, with a second story added in 1942,” the White House explained.
It also said “the White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders and other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building entrance.”
In an article published by the White House this week, the Trump administration said that: “In the latest instance of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J.
Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House.” This press release also noted many different renovation projects carried out at the White House by both Democratic and Republican administrations.
While Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to disapprove of the East Wing demolition and renovations, more than half of independents polled by YouGov also disapproved of both.
Trump, who built a career as a real estate developer before his foray into politics, said in June that he was inspecting the site for his ballroom plans. Later in the summer, the White House revealed that plans called for a 90,000 square foot addition with a capacity for 650 people on the site of the current East Wing for an estimated cost of $200 million. Work is expected to be completed by the end of Trump’s term in 2029.
This week, the White House said the new ballroom will be “a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence.”
As the YouGov poll indicates that Americans aren’t totally on board with demolishing the East Wing, the National Trust for Historic Preservation also expressed concern about the project this week.
“We respectfully urge the Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes, including consultation and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, both of which have authority to review new construction at the White House, and to invite comments from the American people,” said a statement from Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the organization.