WASHINGTON (October 22, 2025) – On Tuesday, October 21st, the East Wing of the White House was torn down to make way for President Donald Trump’s ballroom.
For expert context on the matter, please consider these GW experts:
Sara Bronin is the Freda H. Alverson Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. Between 2023-2024, Bronin was the Biden administration appointee to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, which oversees the regulatory process under the National Historic Preservation Act called Section 106. Bronin can speak to the regulatory framework in which the decision to demolish the East Wing should have been made.
“In 1966, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to require federal agencies to take into account the effects of their actions on historic places. The Trump administration’s short-sighted decision to start demolishing parts of the White House is exactly the kind of action the NHPA was passed to circumvent. As chair of the agency overseeing the NHPA process, nicknamed Section 106, I’m concerned that the National Park Service — which typically manages construction projects on the grounds of the White House — has proceeded without undertaking the required Section 106 reviews" said Bronin.
"If they had, they would have no doubt refrained from bulldozing our shared history. That’s because they would have evaluated the effects of demolition on historic properties — including the White House, the National Mall, and all of the other historic buildings, landscapes, landmarks, and archaeological sites that might be affected — and resolved any adverse effects. The Section 106 process enhances decision-making by ensuring that potential effects are taken into account before action that might harm them occurs."
Peter Loge is an associate professor of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs. Professor Loge has more than 30 years of experience in politics and communications, including a presidential appointment at the Food and Drug Administration. He currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs.
If you would like to schedule an interview, please contact Claire Sabin at claire [dot] sabin
gwu [dot] edu (claire[dot]sabin[at]gwu[dot]edu) or Skyler Sales at skylersgwu [dot] edu (skylers[at]gwu[dot]edu).
-GW-