East Wing renovation pulls back the curtain on key Trump 'obsession'

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Quantico, Virginia September 30, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

President Donald Trump is obsessed with size, writes MSNBC editor Hayes Brown, and this explains the massive destruction of historic property underway at the White House.

“The scale, speed and lack of transparency we’re seeing from President Donald Trump’s determination to build a 90,000-square foot ballroom makes it by far the most absurd — and potentially unethical — “renovation” project any president has undertaken,” wrote Hayes, adding that “former officials and historical experts were appalled at the images of demolition equipment ripping through the White House’s East Wing.”

“Given his past as a real estate developer, his obsession with size and grandeur and his questionable taste in internal decor, Trump’s vision for a White House ballroom comes as little surprise,” Brown said.

Trump effortlessly blew past his earlier claims that the addition “won’t interfere with the current building.”

“It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it,” he assured reporters.

Past presidents, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his great uncle Theodore Roosevelt had both built up the east and west wings to handle the needs of growing staff, but Hayes said the estimated $250 million (or more) price tag for Trump’s ballroom addition is” set to be at least three times as much as the total renovation of the 1950s.”

And unlike past overhauls, the president isn’t waiting for Congress to appropriate the funds. Instead, Trump has said that the whole of the project will be covered by “many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly.”

However, Trump’s ongoing fascination with size remains apparent. His presidency began with a contentious debate between his press operation and the reporters who cover the White House over how big a crowd had attended his inauguration. Trump even forced former-White House press secretary Sean Spicer to stand before reporters and lie that the crowd had been “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.”

In 2016, Trump was likely the first president in recent history to defend his manhood on a debate stage, assuring American voters that there was “no problem” despite what then candidate Marco Rubio had said about the size of his hands.

“I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee,” Trump told the audience.

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