Treasury Tells Employees Not to Share Photos of White House Ballroom Construction | Exclusive

The Treasury Department instructed employees not to share photos of the demolition of parts of the White House’s East Wing after images of construction equipment dismantling the facade of the building went viral online. Treasury’s headquarters is located next door to the East Wing, giving employees there a front-row seat to the construction of President Trump’s $250 million ballroom. The new project is set to replace parts of the East Wing. “As construction proceeds on the White House grounds, employees should refrain from taking and sharing photographs of the grounds, to include the East Wing, without prior approval from the Office of Public Affairs,” a Treasury official wrote on Monday evening in an email to department employees viewed by The Wall Street Journal. ... Trump described the ballroom as a grand entertaining space for dignitaries. ... White House officials have said the ballroom will be at least 90,000 square feet with the capacity for more than 650 seats. The East Room, where many large White House events are currently held, has enough space for 200 seats. The main footprint of the White House, not including the East and West Wing, is approximately 55,000 square feet. “For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for grand parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday night. ... “Seeing the White House torn apart is really emblematic of the times we’re in,” Sen. Tina Smith (D., Minn.) wrote on social media. ... In preparation for the start of construction, crews have moved historic trees away from the grounds and removed historical objects from the East Wing. ... Trump views the new ballroom as an important part of his legacy. Since taking office, he has redecorated parts of the White House complex, including the Rose Garden, Oval Office, Palm Room and Colonnade. Trump installed two large flagpoles at the north and south entrances of the White House, and he regularly inspects his construction projects. He recently made a detour on the way back to the White House from his suburban Virginia golf club to Dulles International Airport. His press team told reporters he wanted to take a different route to assess potential future projects. Allies of the president on Capitol Hill have proposed renaming the airport for Trump. Closer to home, Trump last week unveiled plans for a large white arch in a traffic circle across from Arlington National Cemetery. Trump showed off a rendering of the arch—which some have dubbed the Arc de Trump—during a dinner last week with donors who are financing the construction of the White House ballroom.