In July, the Trump administration announced that the East wing of the White House would be completely demolished to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom in the White House. The demolition began at the end of October, and many Americans mourn the loss of the East Wing.
The ballroom will cost 300 million dollars to build and is funded by private donors, including multi-trillion-dollar companies like Amazon, Apple and Meta. This should prompt many Americans to question who the White House actually serves, prioritizing the interests of donors likely seeking influence and power over the needs and voices of the American people.
Alanni Rogers (12) says, “While millions of people can’t afford basic necessities, hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to build a ballroom. It seems that many government officials do not care about making people’s lives better.”
Demolishing the East Wing of the White House is destroying American history. Many historians, preservationists and bipartisan individuals are opposed to its destruction for this reason.
The Wing was built under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency and expanded over time. It became the residence of the office of the First Lady where they created and shaped policy surrounding education, mental health and equality.
From Eleanor Roosevelt’s press conferences for women journalists to Michelle Obama promoting education and health, the East Wing has been historically representative of female empowerment as it has been a primarily female dominated space.
Additionally, the East Wing staff has historically been a largely female group created to assist the First Lady with projects and events. This group signified the growth of women’s professional role in the federal government during the 1960s and 70s.
When asked what message the destruction of the East Wing sends on the role of women in government, Tyler Brennen (12) says, “destroying [the East Wing] could indirectly suggest that the Trump administration does not hold women’s contributions to our government in high importance.”
The East Wing was a space that Americans could tour and truly experience. From the East Colonnade to the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, it was a museum of civic life and our country’s evolution. Demolishing it sends a message that the people’s access and participation are unimportant.
The White House is not the property of one president, it is the people’s house. It serves as a symbol of democracy.
Brennen says, “I feel like the motivation behind the demolition is primarily Trump’s desire to reshape the building for his own personal preferences.”
If we permit the destruction of a space strongly tied to civic engagement, we risk erasing the idea that the White House belongs to the people, not to powerful government officials.
There were other alternatives that could have been considered instead of destroying the East Wing entirely, including renovation, preservation and repurposing the space.
This destruction is a direct violation of respect for history, culture and the American people. It is extremely important that as Americans, we make our voices heard and recognized by signing petitions, going to our representatives and voicing opposition when acts of tyranny occur.
Building a ballroom does not modernize America, it undermines democracy.
