Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, News, World News, Money
Donald Trump is facing backlash after he revealed his plans to demolish the entire East Wing of the White House in order to make room for his new $300 million ballroom.
For those who need a reminder, the US President, 79, first unveiled his swanky ballroom plans back in July, sparking a mixed reaction.
He initially said the construction work 'wouldn't interfere with the current building,' but today (23 October) he made quite the U-turn and admitted that actually, the whole East Wing is being torn down.
The Republican leader also casually threw it in there that the ballroom construction costs have risen to $300 million, making a huge jump from the previous figure of $200 million.
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Explaining the controversial move to reporters in the Oval Office today, Trump 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."
He added: "Rather than allowing that to hurt a very expensive, beautiful building. In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure."
As we say, the move has understandably landed the President in hot water, as Americans are slamming the move and accusing him of initially 'lying'.
The news has also led some people to question exactly what kind of permission Trump required to make such a move - and more importantly, whether he got it.
Some people have begun questioning whether the world leader needed permission from Congress to demolish the East Wing, and in short, the answer is no.
One Twitter user penned: "Did the development of the east wing of the White House as it stands today involve a congressional process or did a President act unilaterally to build it?"
Another baffled person added: "This is utterly insane. That's our house. No one has approved this in Congress? The Republicans in the House are just a doormat now. Disgusting."
However, someone else correctly pointed out: "Congress only gets involved if changes are being publicly funded, but Trump is funding this privately."
As Trump is digging into his own pocket, and those of donors, for the controversial project, he doesn't need approval from Congress - something that critics are calling a 'loophole'.
Meanwhile, others have pointed out that Trump has yet to get permission from the National Capitol Planning Commission (NCPC).
The NCPC is a US government executive branch agency that provides planning guidance for Washington D.C, however, this is where another supposed 'loophole' comes in.
Essentially, the White House's argument is that it simply hasn’t needed to submit plans for review by the NCPC because only demolition - technically not construction - has begun.
At the commission’s September meeting, commission chair Will Scharf, who was appointed by Trump, said the agency has no jurisdiction over 'demolition and site preparation work,' only over construction and 'vertical build'.
The commission is also currently closed because of the ongoing government shutdown.
A White House official told Reuters: "Construction plans have not yet been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission but will be soon."
