From NPR.

The East Wing of the White House is now a pile of rubble as the Trump administration moves forward with the president’s plan to build a 90,000 square foot ballroom.

President Trump initially said the project wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.” On Wednesday he explained that “in order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation called on the Trump administration to pause demolition earlier this week until the ballroom plans go through a “legally required public review processes.”

Going back at least to the year 2010, Trump has complained that the White House doesn’t have an appropriate space for State Dinners and other large gatherings, often requiring large tents to be set up on the South Lawn.