The White House is constructing a new East Wing featuring a State Ballroom, after the original East Wing was demolished in October 2025 (construction began September 2025, with completion planned for September 2028). Announced in July 2025, the ballroom aims to provide a higher seating capacity than the historic East Room (which seats only 200) for formal events like state dinners, and will sit atop a six-story bunker to replace the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. The project addresses long-standing frustrations with temporary tents for events—President Donald Trump called them "not a pretty sight," and he had expressed interest in building a ballroom as early as 2010. This demolition marks the first major structural change to the White House complex since the Truman Balcony in 1948, following the massive Truman Reconstruction (1949–1952). The project has faced criticism over its funding, design, and destruction of historic features, but the National Capital Planning Commission approved the final design in April 2026, with legal challenges ongoing and construction permitted until mid-August 2026 pending a Supreme Court appeal. Architect James McCrery II was hired in July 2025, while Trump's appointment of loyalists like Will Scharf to the NCPC has raised concerns about the permitting process.