Trump's East Wing ballroom could cost $200 million; first white house photos out

Trump plans $200M revamp of White House East Wing ballroom, starting in September, Press Sec. Leavitt says; visual mock-ups of design released.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday laid out the details of President Trump's plans to revamp the ballroom in the White House's East Wing. Leavitt said that the construction of the ballroom will start in September and could cost up to $200 million. She also released creative visualizations of how the ballroom would look after the revamp.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt displays a rendering for a new White House ballroom. (AFP)

In a press release, the White House stated that the White House State Ballroom "will be a much-needed and exquisite addition of approximately 90,000 total square feet of innately designed and carefully crafted space," and its seating capacity will increase from 200 to 650. The release also noted that the ballroom will be designed by the McCrery Architects, as chosen by President Trump.

Here are the mock photos of the upcoming ballroom at the White House:

The announcement of the construction plan comes on the heels of the POTUS's frequent complaints that the White House does not have enough space to hold large events. The 79-year-old had also expressed displeasure at having to host world leaders at tents on the White House lawn, owing to the lack of space inside.

Notably, the White House's East Wing, where the ballroom is located, houses some of the key administrative offices, including the office of the First Lady of the United States. They will be relocated when the construction starts.