Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House on Oct. 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
The Treasury Department told staff not to share photos of the White House‘s East Wing as parts of it are demolished to build a new ballroom at the behest of President Donald Trump, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC on Tuesday.
The Treasury’s warning came after photos of excavators tearing down parts of the building went viral online Monday in preparation for the planned 90,000-square-foot, $250 million ballroom.
“You probably hear the beautiful sound of construction to the back,” Trump said during a Rose Garden event Tuesday. “That’s music to my ears. I love that sound. Other people don’t like it. I love it.”
In July, Trump said that construction of the ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building.”
“It’ll be near it but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” Trump said of the White House at the time.
The Treasury Department is located next door to the East Wing, with a clear view of the demolition work.
“Carelessly shared photographs of the White House complex could reveal sensitive items, potentially including security features or confidential structural details,” the Treasury spokesperson told CNBC.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have urged our employees to avoid sharing these images.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported the Treasury’s message.
“Trump’s billionaire ballroom. This is a disgrace. Welcome to the Second Gilded Age,” Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., tweeted Monday, above a photo from The Washington Post showing the demolition work.
Trump has said that he and private donors will finance the construction of the ballroom.
Comcast, the current parent company of CNBC, was on a list of top donors to the ballroom’s construction. It is unclear how much Comcast and other donors contributed. CNBC will spin off from Comcast before the end of this year under a new parent company Versant.
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