See the full timeline of Trump's $400 million White House ballroom and military complex

President Donald Trump is building a new White House ballroom. Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images

President Donald Trump is building a new $400 million White House ballroom and military complex.

The project has been embroiled in lawsuits and controversy, and its price tag continues to increase.

As of August, the Trump administration says construction is "65% finished."

You can take President Donald Trump out of real estate, but you can't take real estate out of President Donald Trump.

Trump has exhibited a particular passion for redesigning the nation's capital and renovating the White House in his second, non-consecutive term, redecorating historic spaces such as the Oval Office and the Rose Garden .

His most ambitious — and controversial — project thus far: demolishing the East Wing to build a $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom complex reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago estate .

The project has prompted a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and widespread criticism regarding the use of taxpayer funds for security measures in the new addition.

The Trump administration maintains that the new ballroom, which includes a military complex underneath, is necessary for national security.

"The East Wing Modernization Project is inextricably tied to the security of the president, the White House grounds, and the certain security infrastructure assets," White House spokesman David Ingle told Business Insider.

Ingle also highlighted recent attempts on the president's life, including a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April and a thwarted attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event in June, adding that these instances prove "exactly why the East Wing Modernization Project is severely needed for large-scale events, which include drone-proof structures and drone ports among other critical security enhancements."

Here's a look at how the White House ballroom project has progressed — and how the new building is taking shape.

July 31, 2025: The White House announced plans to construct a new $200 million ballroom measuring 90,000 square feet on the site of the East Wing.

The East Wing of the White House before its demolition. Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The White House said the new ballroom would seat 650 people, an upgrade from the East Room's 200-person capacity, and that Trump and "other patriot donors" would provide the funds.

McCrery Architects, based in Washington, DC, was announced as the lead architect, with construction work led by Maryland-based Clark Construction.

"The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come," White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in a statement .

September 4, 2025: Trump's handpicked head of the National Capital Planning Commission said that White House demolition work did not require approval.

White House Staff Secretary and National Capital Planning Commission Chairman Will Scharf at a commission meeting. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The National Capital Planning Commission , a federal agency tasked with approving construction work and renovations on government buildings in the DC area, met to discuss Trump's planned White House ballroom.

Will Scharf, whom Trump appointed as the chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, said the agency did not need to approve demolition work on the White House grounds because it has jurisdiction only over "vertical build," not site preparation work.

"I think any assertion that this commission should have been consulted earlier than it has been, or it will be, is simply false," he said at the meeting.

October 15, 2025: Trump hosted a dinner at the White House for donors who agreed to contribute to the ballroom.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Trump will host billionaires and corporate executives, including Blackstone Inc.'s Steve Schwarzman, Continental Resources Inc.'s Harold Hamm and crypto billionaires Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, at a dinner Wednesday to highlight a new White House ballroom construction project. Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Guests at the dinner included representatives from companies donating funds to Trump's ballroom, such as Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, Lockheed Martin, Meta, and T-Mobile.

October 20, 2025: Demolition work on the East Wing began.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 20: The facade of the East Wing of the White House is demolished by work crews on October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

In a statement, the White House called the renovation "a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence."

October 22, 2025: Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the estimated cost of the ballroom's construction had risen to "about $300 million."

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 22, 2025: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks holding a photos of the new ballroom during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on October 22, 2025. Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Trump also showed reporters architectural renderings of the new ballroom.

October 23, 2025: The White House shared a list of the donors funding Trump's ballroom.

A model of the White House with the planned ballroom e...