The news of Donald Trump ordering a total demolition of White House’s beloved East Wing and constructing a $250 million ballroom is unanimously tagged as a disgrace by many. Not only does the formerly beloved space hold sentimental value for the people, but it also remains one of the most historic spots for several reasons, all stemming from the very foundation of America. Now, what remains is a massive pile of debris and felled trees, things that were of great importance to former U.S. Presidents and other celebrated politicians in U.S. history.
The East wing was torn down entirely on October 25, and it has indeed been a move that counters one of Trump’s previous claims in July this year, when he said he would preserve existing infrastructure. This demolition is said to mark the first significant change to the iconic building’s exterior in over 83 years. While there is nearly no one in support of bringing down heritage for the sake of a petty ballroom that can house up to 900 people at a time, the reigning U.S. President has now received some scathing remarks from a former White House employee.
Former White House chief photographer Pete Souza, who served during the Presidency of Barack Obama, has strongly opposed the demolition. In a conversation with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Souza shared nostalgic photos of the former U.S. President running through the corridors of the East Wing with his dog, Bo, while chastising Trump’s latest orders to bring ruin to this majestic place.
Barack Obama runs with their then new six-month old puppy, Bo, a Portugese Water dog. 11th April, 2009. pic.twitter.com/WbsZU8F79B
— U.S. politicians doing normal shit (@normalpols) March 19, 2022
Expressing his shock at hearing such a significant decision for the first time, Pete attacked Trump, calling the White House’ not private property’ for the current U.S. President. He further added, “I was shocked. You don’t just tear down a building. This is not his house. This house belongs to us. It’s the people’s house. And no one man should be able to knock down a building for his vanity ballroom project. I just felt devastated that this is the way he went about doing it.”
“This is not his House. This House belongs to us”: Former presidential photographer Pete Souza on the the demolition of the White House’s East Wing for a ballroom. pic.twitter.com/rgz75yePA6
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) October 28, 2025
Well, this has not been the first time Pete has used Obama-era photographs to criticize Trump and his practices since the 79-year-old resumed office in his first term. This time too, the former photographer and White House ex-employee has followed the same path, unabashedly pointing out every move of the current President with a photo swipe. For instance, in his recently shared picture of Obama and his pet Bo from the East Wing previously, Souza captioned it with the words “The White House was once the People’s House. Now it belongs to a wannabe king. It’s a symbol of what his administration is doing to the country.”
Meanwhile, as Donald Trump’s cherished dream and golden project of the grand ballroom has been receiving an endless amount of hate and criticism, his administration has decided to dismiss such claims with classic ignorance. Tagging it as nothing more than ‘manufactured outrage,’ it seems they have once again tossed into the air any consideration of the public’s views on what the federal government decides to do in the first place.
In fact, the Trump administration might also have dismissed a previously received plea from The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit agency that helps preserve historic buildings. In a letter on official letterhead to the President’s office on Tuesday, the agency respectfully requested a pause in the demolition until the legally required public review process is completed.
Moments ago live footage of the East Wing of the White House, completely demolished
The argument has been used that other presidents have done this but it was mostly from within or enlarging and embellishing not ripping out an entire wing, all that history into rubble.… pic.twitter.com/vHeRP0KFeg
— DR JANE RUBY™️ (@RealDrJaneRuby) October 23, 2025
In response, the White House mouthpiece has claimed that their project did not require submitting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission in the first place, since only demolition, not technically construction, has begun in the East Wing area.
For the unfamiliar, the latest satellite images of the East Wing area demolition raised concerns that significant historic trees are being axed for the sake of the ballroom. The trees that are said to be sacrificed in the process include the iconic southern magnolias, which were planted to commemorate the reigns of former U.S. presidents Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt. These trees were planted back in 1992.
A special Yoshino cherry tree planted by Jill Biden and the former First Lady of Japan is also absent from the satellite imagery, along with that of the second magnolia tree, which honored the memory of Roosevelt.
