Featured Image Credit: Suzanne Plunkett - Pool / Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
It's been almost four months since Donald Trump announced his $200 million plan to demolish sections of the White House, but it doesn't appear as though he plans to cease or desist anytime soon.
The President first made his construction project known back in July, claiming he sought to transform the residence's over 100-year-old East Wing into a plush 90,000-square-foot ballroom, in which he could host international guests.
Unsurprisingly, Trump's announcement was met with huge backlash, with many criticising the ways that large sums of potentially tax-paid money was being spent by the Republican - though, he later claimed private funding had paid for the job.
Despite initially insisting he wouldn't be tearing down the entire wing, and that the ballroom 'wouldn't interfere with the current building', the 79-year-old confirmed earlier this week that the whole historical wing would be torn down.
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Trump also said it would actually cost $300 million, a whopping $100 million more than originally forecast.
Attempting to justify his controversial decision to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday (22 Oct), he said: "We determined that, after really a tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world, we determined that really knocking it down, trying to use a little section - you know, the East Wing, was not much. Rather than allowing that to hurt a very expensive, beautiful building.
Trump added: "In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure."
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Tragically, the White House is exempt from the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which requires public reviews of projects involving historical buildings.
Just one day after Trump's meeting with reporters, photographs obtained by AP showed the entire East Wing had since been demolished.
As a reminder, the structure was first constructed in 1902 under Theodore Roosevelt as a means of inviting members of the public to explore the presidential residence, and mainly served as an entrance for guests during large social gatherings. Forty years later, a further two storeys were added.
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Amongst the key features of the building to have been destroyed are the East Wing's officers for the First Lady and her staff, as well as meeting rooms and several special event spaces.
Arguably even more harrowing is that the White House Family Theatre - a historical screening-room/movie theatre, built in 1942 - had been reduced to rubble. This space was previously occupied by both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, both of whom held Super Bowl parties here during their terms.
Apparently, the theatre's destruction was done in a bid to 'modernise and renovate' the entertainment space.
As we say, as well as concern from taxpayers, members of the Washington non-profit organisation National Trust for Historic Preservation previously voiced their upset, writing a letter to White House prior to the demolition, claiming they were 'deeply concerned'.
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The group also asked Trump to stop, reminding the politician that the presidential residence is a national historic landmark.
A number of Democrats have also spoken out, including Trump's 2016 opponent Hilary Clinton, who accused him of 'destroying' the White House.
A White House correspondent from ABC News also questioned the building's press secretary Karoline Leavitt, about the staggering demolition last week, reminding her: "This is the People's House."
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Mary Bruce went on to demand: "Why not inform the public of that change and when it was decided that the East Wing would have to be demolished?"
In response, Leavitt told her: "With any construction project, changes come. And we have informed all of you, we've been keeping you apprised of this project. We've shown you the renderings.
"The plans changed when the president heard counsel from the architects and the construction companies who said that in order for this East Wing to be modern and beautiful for many, many years to come, for it to be a truly strong and stable structure, this phase one that we're now in was necessary.