The White House said Thursday that President Donald Trump has approved construction of a 90,000-square-foot State Ballroom adjacent to the mansion’s East Wing, the first major expansion of the executive residence in more than 70 years. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the project will cost about $200 million and will be financed entirely by Trump and unnamed private donors. Groundbreaking is scheduled for September, with the administration aiming to finish the work well before Trump’s term ends in January 2029. The neoclassical hall will seat roughly 650 guests—triple the capacity of the existing East Room—and is intended to eliminate the need for temporary tents on the South Lawn during large state dinners. Plans call for modernising the East Wing while keeping the new structure “substantially separated” yet stylistically consistent with the historic main house. Washington-based McCrery Architects designed the addition and Clark Construction will oversee building.