Recently, President Donald Trump found himself at the center of a controversy regarding the construction of a lavish new ballroom at the White House. The president firmly rejected accusations of secrecy about the project and did not hold back when responding to a reporter’s questions on the matter.

The incident unfolded after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday. During a press briefing, Trump was confronted about startling images that circulated showing heavy machinery tearing through the East Wing’s walls. This development raised eyebrows, particularly since Trump had previously stated that the historic 83-year-old building would remain untouched during the ballroom’s construction, which is funded privately.

However, in a surprising admission, Trump confessed that he was proceeding with the demolition of the entire East Wing structure. He candidly expressed his dissatisfaction with the building, saying he had never been impressed by its design or condition.

When Jeff Mason, a Reuters White House correspondent, inquired how Trump would address claims of lacking transparency about the ballroom’s plans, the president promptly defended himself. Holding up architectural renderings, Trump asserted, “I’ve shown this to everyone who would listen,” emphasizing the grandeur and impact the new addition will bring to the White House.

‘I’ve shown this to everyone who would listen,’ Trump said after holding up renderings showing the proposed ballroom and the heft it would add to the White House structure.

‘Third-rate reporters didn’t see it because they didn’t look,’ he continued, calling Mason a ‘third-rate reporter’ who ‘always’ has been.

‘These pictures have been in newspapers, they’ve been in – all over the place – and we’re very proud of it. It’s gotten great reviews, it’s gotten really great reviews.

‘I think we’ve been more transparent than anybody’s ever been,’ Trump concluded. 

President Donald Trump denied he was being cagey about his plans for a proposed new ballroom at the White House

He hit out at a reporter who suggested he wasn’t being transparent about the project during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday

Trump also explained his reasoning for destroying the historic building, telling reporters that ‘in order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.’

He added that he ‘never thought of [it] as being much’ and said the second-story of the East Wing – which was added to accommodate offices for the first lady – ‘was not particularly nice.’

Still, Trump insisted the White House would not be affected by the demolition, as he slammed photos that appeared to show just three walls of the East Wing still standing.

‘The way it was shown, it looked like we were touching the White House. We don’t touch the White House,’ Trump said.

Instead, he explained, the new ballroom would be connected to the main White House via a ‘glass bridge.’ 

‘Then, you get into the lobby of the ballroom and then you get into the magnificent, the main room and it’s something that has gotten incredible reviews,’ he reiterated.

Yet former East Wing staffers, from Democratic and Republican administrations alike, condemned the demolition as photos of the construction began hitting social media this week.

A number of former staffers of Republican First Lady Pat Nixon had written to the National Capital Planning Commission to try and get the project stopped, according to East Wing Magazine. 

The president slammed photos that appeared to show just three walls of the East Wing still standing

Shocking photos emerged this week showing  backhoe taking down the walls of the East Wing

Trump finally admitted on Wednesday that the entire East Wing will be demolished

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit agency created by Congress to preserve historic buildings, also warned administration officials in a letter Tuesday that the planned ballroom ‘will overwhelm the White House itself’ and ‘may also permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House.’

‘We respectfully urge the Administration and the National Park Service to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review process’ including a public comment period, CEO Carol Quillen wrote.

‘These processes provide a crucial opportunity for transparency and broad engagement – values that have guided preservation of the White House under every administration going back to the public competition in 1792 that produced the building’s original design.

‘As we approach the 250th Anniversary of our country’s founding, the perseveration of historic places that represent our nation’s history has never been more relevant or important,’ Quillen concluded.

‘We urge you to take into account the deep reverence that all Americans hold for this iconic place and to initiate the review process that can ensure the preservation of the historic White House for future generations.’

But the White House is already forging ahead with its plans, and is set to soon submit the plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which traditionally keeps historic preservation in mind before green-lighting a proposal.

The 12-member board is now led by a majority of Trump allies, including its chairman, Staff Secretary Will Scharf. 

A model of what the White House complex will look like after President Donald Trump’s ballroom is added on top of what was the East Wing

The National Trust for Historic Preservation warned administration officials in a letter Tuesday that the planned ballroom ‘will overwhelm the White House itself’

White House officials are expected to soon submit their plans for the $300 million project to the National Capital Planning Commission

If the plan now moves forward as expected, White House officials said they would work to preserve some of the relics from the East Wing.

One unidentified administration official told NBC News that ‘all the historical components of the East Wing, such as elements from [Rosalynn] Carter’s original Office of the First Lady, have been preserved and stored under the supervision of the White House Executive Residence and the National Park Service with support from the White House Historical Association.’

‘Plans are in place for future use,’ the administration official added.

Still, Democrats see a political opening from the optics of the $300 million project, which is happening amid a government shutdown that is seeing federal workers go without pay. 

‘I genuinely think the images of them destroying the East Wing of the White House could be a game changer in the elections,’ former Biden White House official Neera Tanden posted to X on Wednesday.