Americans 'horrified' as new image of Trump's White House 'wreckage' emerges

One new photo of the construction site of what used to be the East Wing of the White House is prompting outrage among Americans on social media.

While on assignment for Getty Images, freelance photographer Andrew Leyden posted photos on Friday of the White House from the Washington Monument, which recently reopened following the 43-day government shutdown. Leyden's photos showed a massive pile of dirt and a deep hole in the ground where the East Wing previously stood, after President Donald Trump tore it down to make space for his planned $300 million ballroom.

Leyden's photos sparked multiple reactions on X. Historical preservation consultant Karyn Caplan wrote: "The historic preservationist in me is still horrified by the paving over of the Rose Garden, the East Wing demolition and the monstrosity of a ballroom, and more, but there’s nothing to be done now."

"Excited for the monument to be open, sad of the wreckage visible," tweeted regulatory strategy professional Alex Pawlowski.

Former federal employee Jack Miller – who was previously the communications director for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management — listed Trump's changes to the White House in a bulleted list in a post to his X account. Miller noted that Trump "demolished the East Wing," put up "gold plated decorations" with "tacky labels for ~*The Oval Office*~" and put up "car dealership sized American flags," and also "flattened the Rose Garden."

"It’s just so tacky," Miller wrote.

Gulf War veteran Stan Walters opined that the inflated cost of the construction for Trump's ballroom didn't add up, writing: "Ballrooms don't cost $3,000 sq/ft. This is weird as all hell."

"Who knew cheaper eggs could be so expensive," quipped writer Christian H. Cooper.