WASHINGTON \u2014 Construction crews Monday started demolishing part of the East Wing of the White House as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s project to build a new ballroom, according to an administration official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump said in July that the project \u201cwon\u2019t interfere with the current building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I\u2019m the biggest fan of,\u201d Trump said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The White House did not immediately respond to questions from NBC News about how much of the structure it plans to demolish and why it\u2019s happening after Trump\u2019s earlier insistence that the White House itself wouldn\u2019t be touched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Washington Post was first to report on the demolition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Construction of the ballroom began last month. Trump referred to the project at a White House event Monday, saying: \u201cWe\u2019re building right behind us. We\u2019re building a ballroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know I\u2019d be standing here right now, because right on the other side, you have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically,\u201d he told attendees at Monday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump said later on Truth Social that the East Wing would be \u201cfully modernized as part of this process,\u201d calling its construction \u201cthe new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,\u201d which he said was \u201ccompletely separate from the White House itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The East Wing is connected to and part of the White House complex. It has typically been used by the first lady and her staff; several aides moved their workspaces in advance of the demolition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump said last month that the ballroom will hold up to 900 people, exceeding the original planned capacity of 650 by nearly 40%. He has said he will personally help pay for the White House addition, with the help of private donors. The price tag was initially estimated at $200 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But at a dinner for top donors to the ballroom last week, Trump confirmed the new price tag is around $250 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has lamented that for events too large for the White House to accommodate, guests are usually hosted under tents pitched on the South Lawn, telling NBC News over the phone in July, \u201cWhen it rains or snows, it\u2019s a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project could be the biggest physical change to the White House since the 1940s, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the East Wing in 1942, followed by President Harry Truman\u2019s adding an eponymous balcony on the South Portico in 1948.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in a statement this year that officials will meet with \u201cappropriate organizations\u201d to keep the White House\u2019s \u201cspecial history\u201d intact. Trump has held meetings with White House staff members, the National Park Service and others in past months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least one lawmaker has expressed opposition to the change and the private funding for the renovation. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., has said the plans should have come before Congress for discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n