What happened

President Donald Trump Wednesday acknowledged that the White House’s East Wing would be completely demolished to build his ballroom, despite his earlier pledge that the project “won’t interfere with the current building.” He also said the cavernous ballroom would cost $300 million, up from the original estimate of $200 million, and would be financed “100% by me and some friends of mine,” though “the military is very much involved” as well.

Who said what

“In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,” Trump said. The East Wing, built in 1902 and expanded in 1942, primarily housed the first lady’s office. “It was a very small building” and “was never thought of as being much,” Trump said. But the unannounced “demolition of part of one of the most hi

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