Construction Begins on Grand White House Ballroom
Crews were seen removing trees on the White House grounds while the Trumps arrived in Britain for a state visit.
While President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump received a royal welcome for their unprecedented second state visit to Britain this week, work was quietly getting underway on the president’s ambitious White House Ballroom addition, the largest construction project for the executive mansion since the Harry Truman administration, USA Today reported.
According to reports, “ground crews were seen cutting down trees and shrubs on the South Lawn in preparation for the $200 million, 90,000-square-foot expansion of the East Wing that will contain the White House Ballroom, a formal dining area for 900 people.”
The two-byline story that ran on Thursday helps piece together the impact the expansion will have on the White House property. Next week, first ladies author Annette Dunlap for East Wing Magazine will walk readers through the evolving architecture of the White House and the influence former first ladies have had on different aspects of the residence.
The Weekly Wrap
The Weekly Wrap is a collection of headlines from the past week. Some publications have paywalls.
East Wing Magazine
Diplomatic Dressing: The Meaning Behind the Ensembles of the UK-US State Visit
Sept. 19, 2025 — As First Lady Melania Trump arrived in London on Tuesday night for the long-awaited state visit to the United Kingdom, the breeze blew open her floor-length trench coat to reveal the tartan inside. The Burberry trench coat is instantly recognizable as an icon of British fashion. This clear nod to her English hosts kicked off something of a masterclass in diplomatic dressing over the following two days. Read more
USA Today
Construction Begins on White House Ballroom, Its Largest Renovation Since the 1940s
Sept. 18, 2025 — President Donald Trump is getting the big White House ballroom he’s always wanted, the centerpiece of what’s planned as the largest construction project for the executive mansion since the Harry Truman administration. Read more
CNN
Hillary Clinton Reacts to Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension
Sept. 18, 2025 — CNN’s Fareed Zakaria asks former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about Jimmy Kimmel’s show being pulled from ABC’s air. View here
People
Donald and Melania Trump Make Emergency Landing in U.K. Airfield After Marine One Experiences ‘Hydraulic Issue’
Sept. 18, 2025 — Donald and Melania Trump’s helicopter experienced a “hydraulic issue” while flying near London on Thursday, Sept. 18. According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Marine One—the helicopter carrying the president and first lady—made an unexpected landing in the final moments of their U.K. trip. Read more
People
Kate Middleton and Melania Trump Step Out for Monumental First Outing Together
Sept. 18, 2025 — In a historic first, Kate Middleton stepped out on her own without other senior members of the royal family to host first lady Melania Trump for a joint outing. After Melania toured Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library at Windsor Castle with Queen Camilla, the first lady joined the Princess of Wales, 43, in Frogmore Gardens. There, they met Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields, and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels program who were learning about nature to achieve their “Go Wild” badge. Read more
CNN
Watch Melania Trump Speak With Children at Royal Library
Sept. 18, 2025 — During a state visit to the UK, First Lady Melania Trump tours the Royal Library at Windsor Castle with Queen Camilla. View here
NBC News
Melania Trump’s Team Has Aggressively Knocked Down Epstein-related ‘Falsehoods’
Sept. 18, 2025 — First Lady Melania Trump has directed her attorneys to take swift action against any platform or person publishing “falsehoods” or “defamatory” information about her when it comes to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News. Read more
East Wing Magazine
In Photos: The Pomp and Pageantry of the Second Trump State Visit
Sept. 17, 2025 — From inside the glitzy St. George’s Hall inside Windsor Castle Wednesday—the second day of President and Mrs. Trump’s State Visit to Britain—King Charles III spoke about the “special” relationship that the two countries share that made the allies safer and stronger through generations. Read more
East Wing Magazine
Bipartisan Alliance Launches Lessons in Civics With the Help of Former Presidents and First Ladies
Sept. 17, 2025 — A group of bipartisan optimists who have been meeting for the past two years about the need for civic education for all ages, among other issues, are betting the helpless narrative of political division that has gripped the United States is, like a feverish fad, now past its prime.
For them, it’s not a gamble, though. It’s a duty. And, they are hopeful about nudging the citizenry out of the chasm toward a fuller understanding of democracy with lessons learned and illuminated by nonpartisan history as the country approaches its 250th founding anniversary in 2026.
That group, a Washington, D.C.-based organization called More Perfect, which includes an alliance of about 40 presidential centers and foundations and educational and civic initiatives from around the country, took a bold step Wednesday when it launched the new national initiative In Pursuit with the intention of distilling wisdom about leadership and democracy from former American presidents and first ladies. Read more
The Grio
Obama Addresses Charlie Kirk’s Past Michelle Obama Insult—Calls Death a ‘Tragedy’ But Says It’s OK to Debate His Ideas
Sept. 17, 2025 — Obama pushed back on Kirk’s 2023 claim that a group of high-achieving Black women, including Michelle Obama, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, MSNBC’s Joy Reid, and the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee “do not have the brain processing power” to be taken seriously, while stressing that rejecting political violence “doesn’t mean we can’t debate the ideas.” Read more
IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
Candace Parker on Motherhood, Basketball, and Life After the Game
Sept. 17, 2025 — Michelle and Craig sit down with fellow Chicagoan and former WNBA star Candace Parker to discuss the importance of self-exploration in our careers, the challenges they’ve had raising children in extraordinary circumstances, and Candace’s love story with her wife. Plus, a listener asks for help in finding a new career path. View here
East Wing Magazine
Barbara Bush’s Literacy Foundation to Rename and Return to Its Original Mission
Sept. 15, 2025 — Earlier this month, Dorothy Bush Koch, honorary chair, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy (BBFFL) and board member of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, announced the BBFFL will return to its original mission and operate primarily as a national grantmaking organization. As a result, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy will soon evolve into the Barbara Bush Fund for Family Literacy at the George & Barbara Bush Foundation. Read more