According to critics, President Donald Trump may be building a new kind of Halloween legacy by going ahead with the construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom in the East Wing of the White House.
This project, which is estimated to cost nearly $300 million, will be funded entirely by private donors and is set for completion in 2029. The addition has also drawn scrutiny about preservation, and more recently, a set of architectural oddities that are being compared to California’s infamous Winchester Mystery House, just in time for Halloween.
The “Trump Ballroom” has come under fire after blueprints and scale models were recently released. In particular, critics are scratching their heads about two windows that open into one another and a staircase that leads straight into a brick wall. Interestingly, these features are frighteningly similar to the eerie design of the Winchester mansion in San Jose.
Of course Trump is building a money-laundering ballroom version of the Winchester House.
He has to keep building to keep the spirits of justice at bay.
— THEE Discowitch Fella 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇨🇦🇺🇸🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@gothicdisco) October 25, 2025
The Daily Beast reports that there has been a sudden increase in haunted house memes and an uptick in online mockery of the ballroom plans. Some X users joked that the ballroom’s design would “keep the spirits of justice away” while others dubbed it the “Epstein Ballroom” referencing the lingering controversy around Trump’s social circle.
In the outlet’s comment section, one reader snarked, “If the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose can be built with all its convoluted passageways and doors opening to nowhere, surely Trump’s East Wing can be restored at some point.” And it’s exactly the restoration of the East Wing that has some critics up in arms.
Prior to beginning the project, the White House assured the public that the East Wing’s façade would remain intact. AP News recently published photographs showing that large parts of the East Wing have been torn down, including the removal of a section of the Jackie Kennedy Garden.
Now, preservationists and ethics experts question the demolition and lack of transparency surrounding the financing of the project. Critics are demanding answers and accountability after the process has already started which they may never get.
The Washington Post reports that initially, the addition would have cost $200 million, but now that figure has ballooned to a staggering $300 million. Some donors include Palantir, Lockheed Martin and Meta, but FactCheck.org notes that oversight of the privately funded construction remains unclear.
Much of the East Wing of the White House was torn down Tuesday to make way for President Trump’s planned ballroom, despite complaints about the project’s lack of transparency.https://t.co/iRY6cgoK7c
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 22, 2025
However, the White House’s current East Room can only accommodate about 200 guests, far too small for large state functions. Supporters of the expansion argue that the new ballroom will greatly increase event capacity, with reports indicating that the new addition will host up to 999 guests.
Trump has also promised that the East Wing’s new addition will have bulletproof windows. This may address safety concerns that guests may have about visiting the White House.
With Halloween days away, the project’s peculiar floor plans have taken on a life of their own. And it’s not a past life either. Whether the staircase to nowhere is a drafting error or a deliberate statement, critics say the symbolism is hard to ignore. Like Sarah Winchester’s San Jose mansion, the new East Wing may prove to leave the ghost of Trump’s presidential reign for many years to come.
