California governor condemns latest immigration enforcement operation, expected to cause showdown between administration and local leaders
Trump administration officials confirmed to various outlets on Wednesday that the White House’s East Wing will be demolished “within days”, a revelation given the administration has not submitted plans for the new ballroom to the federal agency that oversees construction of federal buildings.
In discussion with reporters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump was asked by Jeff Mason of Reuters to respond to the widespread surprise that the entire East Wing is being torn down. Trump said the wing he described as a separate building “was never thought of as being much; it was a very small building”.
“Rather than allowing that to hurt a very expensive, beautiful building,” he continued. “In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.”
A mockup of the White House with the White House ballroom renovation is seen in the Oval Office. Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/Pool/Aaron Schwartz - Pool/CNP/Shutterstock
