President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to rewrite history blew up on him this week. Now he’s facing mounting backlash and accusations of lying after new footage surfaced showing him promising one thing and reality revealing another.
A viral clip posted to X shows Trump boasting in July that construction of the 90,000-square-foot, $250 million ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building.” But in a split-screen cut, demolition crews can be seen ripping through the East Wing — sending clouds of dust into the air and Trump’s credibility with it.
“Here’s a clip of Trump lying & promising he would not damage the WH for his f***ing ballroom followed with video of his construction crew demolishing the East Wing today. Could you imagine the outrage if Biden or Obama did this? I’m so pissed. That’s our White House!” one furious user posted, garnering thousands of views.
The White House has since lashed out at critics, calling the uproar “manufactured outrage” from “unhinged leftists and Fake News allies clutching their pearls over President Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom.”
To add more intrigue, reports revealed a Treasury Department spokesperson told staff not to share photos of the East Wing, citing “security concerns,” as images of the destruction flooded social media.
“Carelessly shared photographs of the White House complex during this process could potentially reveal sensitive items, including security features or confidential structural details,” the Treasury spokesperson told CNBC.
“Trump’s billionaire ballroom. This is a disgrace. Welcome to the Second Gilded Age,” Rep. Darren Soto of Florida wrote on X, posting one of the now-viral demolition shots.
Not everyone agreed Trump lied outright — his defenders rushed online with historical explanations.
“He’s referring to the original structure of the White House,” one user wrote. “The Wings were added later and modified by other presidents at taxpayer expense.”
Others pointed out that the East Wing was built in 1902 and is “not part of the original structure,” but that did little to quiet the outrage.
For Trump’s critics, the issue wasn’t architectural, it was symbolic.
“It’s quite extraordinary that you start demolishing a building in which you’re only a temporary guest,” one X user wrote. “It confirms that he thinks he owns the White House like he owns the country — like a king.”
“To all Americans who believe ‘this is our White House’… well, not anymore,” another added. “Between the $250M ballroom and the proposed Trump Arch, a tribute to the king, why would we think otherwise?”
Another kept their criticism and wish for the future simple, “Lock him up!”
Photos from Monday showed construction workers tearing down large portions of the East Wing as Trump held a Rose Garden event nearby.
“You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction in the back,” Trump said gleefully during at the event. “That’s music to my ears. I love that sound.”
Viewers were shocked to see the photos of the destruction.
“Have you ever done work in a historic district protected by the Department of Interior? How hypocritical if not illegal is this. The east wing of the white house ripped apart and none of the fabric saved. How was this travesty approved?”
The statement only fueled anger from those who saw the moment as tone-deaf during an ongoing government shutdown and deepening economic anxiety.
And the ballroom isn’t the only new addition.
Just last week, Trump revealed another monumental plan for a literal monument honoring who else? Why, Trump of course, near the Lincoln Memorial fashioned after the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Soldiers and Sailors’ Memorial Arch in Brooklyn. In fact, it’s already being dubbed the “Arc de Trump.”
Trump pitched the giant monument, a neoclassical inspired arch topped with eagles and a golden winged statue, that would dwarf everything around it as a commemoration of the country’s 250th anniversary next year.
“You don’t put rims on a rental or custom cabinets in an Airbnb,” Rep. Jonathan Jackson wrote on X. “And you sure don’t build a gold-plated Oval Office, billion-dollar jet, grand ballroom, and now an ‘Arc de Trump’ if you actually plan on leaving in three years.”
I guess it’s going to be made out of cake
. He surely doesn’t care that Americans have food.
— Marian Williams (@McWilliams701) October 17, 2025
Another poster also tagged the White House in responding to Jackson, “Can we have affordable groceries, cars, and healthcare before this? Maybe read the room?”
“First step towards turning the US into a monarchy?” social media poster Bassam Andari suggested.
At a fundraiser Wednesday for the extravagant East Wing ballroom, Trump revealed three different models for the monument, pointing to the largest as his favorite.
“Whichever one would look good. I happen to think the large one,” he simpered at the event.
The ‘Arc De Trump’ is more than a monument, it’s a declaration of victory in Trump’s silent war against the deep state.
“Nothing is random. Everything has meaning.”
Arches have always marked triumph and transformation gateways from conflict to conquest, strength to legacy.… pic.twitter.com/ECchAp5YfA
— Digital Gal
(@DigitalGal_X) October 16, 2025
There’s already a rendition of it that was posted last month online by architect Nicolas Leo Charbonneau of Harrison Design, then reposted by Trump on his platform Truth Social.
The monstrosity, if approved, would be located in a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery, according to NPR. But any new federal buildings or memorials usually need approval from the U.S Commission on Fine Arts, which is closed because of the government shutdown.
Times concluded that “There’s no telling just what this town might look like by the end of this term. But there will sure be a lot more to look at.”