More than half of Americans disapprove of Trump’s demolition of the East Wing – Poll | Donald Trump
More than half of Americans disapprove of Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House and construction of a new ballroom. According to a new poll From The Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos.
The poll was conducted between October 24 and 28 and indicates that 56% of participants do not agree with Trump’s latest move, while 28% support it. Most of the survey participants were white, and a third of them voted for Donald Trump and another third for Kamala Harris in the 2024 elections.
By October 24, the East Wing, historically the home base of the first lady and her staff, was reduced to rubble to make way for a $300 million ballroom that Donald Trump says is paid for with his own money and donations.
The east wing was first known as the East Terrace and was built in 1902 during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt. In 1942, Franklin Roosevelt created the East Wing in its current form to add work space during the war, and to conceal an underground bunker constructed for the president and staff.
Its demolition represents a reversal of the former president’s promise in July not to demolish any of the existing White House infrastructure during the construction of the hall.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Trump said at the time. “It’s not going to interfere with the existing building. It’s not going to be – it’s going to be near it, but not touching it. And I have full respect for the existing building, which I’m a huge fan of. It’s my favorite building.”
The hall, which is scheduled to be 90,000 square feet, roughly twice the size of the White House, will seat about 1,000 people, according to Trump.
The White House said the hall will be ready for use long before Trump’s term ends in January 2029.
Thursday’s poll echoes A Yahoo/YouGov poll released earlier this week found that 61% of respondents said they did not support Trump’s auditorium plan while 25% supported the move.
Reactions to the hall have spread widely and escalated since the demolition began. Eileen KamarkA former official who worked in the building from 1993 to 1997 told the Guardian earlier this month that this was “abhorrent.”
She added: “It’s typical Trump and he’s going to look terrible. They’re tearing down the entire East Wing of the White House. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s just another reason why Americans are bored with King Trump.”