• Prominent lawmakers say massive event space could face demolition or transformation after 2028 election
• Trump demolished East Wing in October despite initial pledge structure would remain untouched
• Project built with private donations sparked ethics concerns and preservationist opposition

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — The $300 million ballroom President Donald Trump built after demolishing the White House East Wing could face a dramatically different future if Democrats win the 2028 presidential race, with prominent party officials already workshopping ideas for repurposing or even destroying the controversial addition.

The East Wing that Trump tore down last month stood for decades. The massive ballroom he is building in its place could be gone not long after the first wave of guests sit down for dinner, depending on the outcome of the next presidential race.

Democratic resistance emerges

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who said he will consider a presidential bid if Democrats gain control of the House in upcoming midterm elections, made clear his opposition to Trump’s vision for the space.

“No way,” Raskin said when asked if the ballroom should be used as Trump plans. “This is a space that’s owned by the people and that serves the people. So, it should be used opposite of what Trump has in mind, which is for the American aristocracy and plutocracy to gather.”

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Raskin proposed transforming the 90,000-square-foot structure into a “Democracy Matters Ballroom” that would display attempts to “undermine and thwart popular democracy in American life,” starting with King George III during the Revolutionary War era and ending with Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Alternative visions

Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another Democrat viewed as a possible presidential candidate, said the ballroom should be used in a way that “celebrates and empowers forgotten Americans” as opposed to accommodating guests for glitzy state dinners.

“We need a White House that is not for the tech billionaires, but for forgotten Americans,” Khanna said. “In that spirit, we should ask Americans — in rural communities, urban centers and hollowed-out factory towns — for their ideas of what to do with the space.”

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At least one Democratic lawmaker wants the ballroom to meet its demise entirely. “I don’t think it would be a bad idea to tear it down,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). “It’s this gigantic blob there that’s Donald Trump.”

Controversial construction

Trump demolished the entire East Wing in October despite initially pledging the ballroom would not “interfere” with the existing building. The president said it would be “near it but not touching it” when he announced the project in July.

White House officials later cited “structural reasons” for the decision to knock down the East Wing, which traditionally housed the first lady’s office. The demolition sparked outrage from preservationists and proceeded without approval from the National Capital Planning Commission.

The project’s cost ballooned from an initial $200 million estimate to $300 million. Trump has said the ballroom will be funded entirely through private donations, though the White House has faced questions about donor influence. Corporate contributors include Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Lockheed Martin.

Historical precedent

Anita McBride, a member of the White House Historical Association board of directors and former chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, expressed hope for continuity.

“I hope it remains a ballroom and hope that it’s tastefully and beautifully done so that future presidents will be proud to host honored guests there,” McBride said.

Past presidents also faced public backlash for transforming the White House. President Harry Truman was ridiculed for putting up a balcony overlooking the South Lawn. A newspaper cartoon in 1948 depicted Truman standing on the balcony named for him and shouting, “Love me… love my balcony.”

But no president has undertaken any exterior renovation on the ballroom’s scale, nor have many presidents proved as polarizing as Trump.

Trump has said a ballroom will enable successors to hold large events in a convenient indoor space as opposed to herding guests onto the South Lawn under makeshift tents. For 150 years, presidents have wanted just this kind of solution, the White House contends.

The White House declined to comment on the ballroom’s fate under future Democratic presidents. A Republican successor to Trump might be more apt to keep the ballroom, interpreting victory as a vindication of Trump’s policies and priorities.

Should a future president preserve or repurpose Trump’s White House ballroom?

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