Photos show entirety of East Wing, including its colonnade, torn down

By Kevin Liptak, Kit Maher, CNN

(CNN) — The entirety of the White House East Wing appears to have been knocked down, photos published Thursday show, as President Donald Trump moves swiftly ahead with plans to construct a massive new ballroom.

The images from the Associated Press show the demolition work reaching almost to the main executive mansion, with piles of debris and twisted rebar left behind.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday to “trust the process” as the ballroom project continues to evolve and insisted that the administration has been transparent about its plans.

“When this plan was presented, and when these renderings, as soon as they were complete, the president directed me to come out here and to share them with all of you. I did an entire opening remarks about what this ballroom project was going to look like,” Leavitt said from the White House briefing room. “With any construction project, there are changes over time, as you assess what the project is going to look like, and we’ll continue to keep you apprised of all of those changes, but just trust the process.”

Appearing to acknowledge changes in demolition plans for the East Wing, Leavitt said, “We’ve shown you the renderings, and if you look at the renderings, it’s very clear the East Wing was going to be modernized instead.”

“The plans changed,” Leavitt said, “when the president heard counsel from the architects and the construction companies, who said that in order for this East Wing to be modern and beautiful for many, many years to come, for it to be a truly strong and stable structure, this phase one that we’re now in was necessary.”

Trump on Thursday said he’s raised $350 million for the project, adding that the cost would be in the “neighborhood” of $300 million, a figure he first unveiled on Wednesday. While the president said he wouldn’t be able to share how much he contributed to the ballroom until it’s completed, he vowed to “donate whatever is needed.”

“It’s been expanded and made absolutely — it’ll be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world, I think,” Trump said during a roundtable in the White House State Dining Room.

The sections that have been demolished include both the East Wing, where first ladies have maintained their offices for several decades, and the East Colonnade, which connected the wing to the main building.

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, a White House official told CNN.

Plans are in place for future use, they added.

The East Colonnade, with its herringbone brick floors and large windows along one wall, was often where visitors entered the White House for events.

It also housed the family movie theater along its north wall, which was used for screenings since it was built in the early 20th century. Major American film studios often made first-run films available to the White House for presidential viewing.

The theater also occasionally acted as a coatroom.

The photos also show the grass and plantings in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, to the south of the colonnade, torn up.

During a dinner with donors to the ballroom in the East Room last week, Trump had the gold curtains behind the podium opened up and forecasted the demolition to guests.

“We collapse that over the next few days, it’s going to be demolished. Everything out there is coming down, and we’re replacing it with one of the most beautiful ballrooms that you’ve ever seen,” Trump said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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