Work crews continued the demolition and removal of the White House's East Wing for a new ballroom amid criticism of President Trump's reconstruction plans.

The removal of the section of the White House where the first lady and staff offices are housed began on Monday – and is expected to be done in the coming weeks, to make room for the president's planned White House ballroom.

Back on July 31, Trump unveiled plans for the 90,000-square-foot addition, saying, it would be built "over on the east side and it will be beautiful," but not "interfere with the current building."

Photos and video of the demolition spread, with the National Trust for Historic Places urging the Trump administration to pause work so it could be reviewed. Trump told reporters on Oct. 22 that for the project to be done "properly, we had to take down the existing structure."

As video and images of the demolition were seen, criticism began of the project. “President Trump’s desecration of the White House is an insult to the American people and a betrayal of his obligation to safeguard our history and heritage," U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent of Maine, said in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Former first lady Hillary Clinton posted an image of the demolition on X on Oct. 21 and wrote: "lt's not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has accused Trump of "taking a wrecking ball" to democracy, posted on X on Oct. 20 that Trump is "Ripping apart the White House just like he's ripping apart the Constitution." The following day he posted, "Donald Trump doesn't want you to see this picture. He's literally destroying the White House.

In a response, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, told CNN's Manu Raju on Oct. 22: "I hear, all of a sudden, from my liberal friends that they're very concerned about our history. Really, these are the same people who tore down every statue they could get their hands on in the last four years – Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt. They didn't have any concern for history then. Now all of a sudden, they're like, oh, the facade of the East Wing is iconic. … Oh, give me a break."

More than half of Americans (53%) strongly or somewhat disapprove of the East Wing demolition, with 24% approving (24% were unsure), according to a YouGov survey of 2,038 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 21.

See photos of the White House demolition

Trump told reporters on Oct. 22 that the decision to tear down the entire structure was made after "tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world."

The president also said the cost of the ballroom project, originally estimated at $200 million, has now risen to $300 million.

Final demolition of the East Wing

Has the White House ever been renovated?

The White House, which was completed in 1817 before then-President James Monroe moved in, has undergone renovation projects many times.

The original East Wing, known then as the East Terrace, according to The New York Times, was built in 1902 during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt oversaw the addition of the full East Wing in 1942, according to the White House Historical Association. The building covered up an underground bunker to protect the president and his staff from an enemy attack during World War II, according to History.com.

Soon after that, construction began in 1948 on the Harry S. Truman Renovation, which "completely gutted and rebuilt the White House from the inside," and was finished in 1952, according to The White House archives.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, and Reuters.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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This story was updated to add before and after graphic of the East Wing demolition.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See photos of continued White House demolition of the East Wing

Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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