How Will the New White House State Ballroom Impact the East Wing?

It’s not exactly sure. But, the Office of the First Lady will move, at least temporarily.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt displays a rendering for a new White House ballroom during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 31, 2025. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump’s announcement Thursday for plans to build a 90,000-square-foot State Ballroom on the White House grounds will impact the East Wing of the executive mansion, specifically Melania Trump’s Office of the First Lady, according to the White House.

Just how much, though, remains unclear.

The announcement was made during a White House press briefing held by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt where she said the construction of the State Ballroom would include modernizing the East Wing.

When asked if parts or the entire East Wing would be torn down, Leavitt responded, “The necessary construction will take place and for those who are housed in the East Wing including the Office of the First Lady, the White House Military Office,…