A recent survey reveals that most Americans are not in favor of President Trump’s initiative to tear down a section of the East Wing of the White House to accommodate a $250 million ballroom.
The poll conducted by YouGov America and published on Wednesday shows that 53% of respondents disapprove, either strongly or somewhat, of the plan to demolish part of the East Wing as part of the renovation efforts. In contrast, 24% express approval, while another 24% remain undecided.
This question is related to a broader inquiry regarding “plans to renovate and expand the White House, including a new ballroom and a patio in the Rose Garden.” Here, 50% express disapproval, 33% show approval, and 17% are uncertain about these plans.
The poll was conducted on Tuesday, following the commencement of construction for the ballroom, a project that has sparked widespread debate, particularly among Democrats who accuse the president of “destroying” the historical site.
According to the survey, a significant 77% of Democrats oppose both the renovation and demolition plans, voicing their dissatisfaction with the proposed changes.
Conversely, 14% of Democrats are in favor of the renovations, and 9% are unsure. Regarding the demolition, 10% approve, while 13% remain uncertain.
Trump has defended plans to demolish the East Wing, saying on Wednesday that “in order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.”
Initially, Trump said the ballroom’s construction would not “interfere with the current building,” but on Wednesday he said conversations with architects led to the decision to knock down the East Wing.
“It was never thought of as being much,” Trump said of the East Wing. “It was a very small building.”
A plurality of Republicans — 45 percent — backed the president’s plans to demolish the East Wing as part of the renovations, but approval is not universal: 28 percent disapproved and 27 percent said they are unsure whether they approve of the demolition plans.
The party is more inclined to back the renovations overall, before being asked specifically about the demolition: 63 percent approved of the renovation plans, 18 percent disapproved, and 19 percent were unsure.
Independents are more closely aligned with Democrats on the issue. A majority disapproved of both the renovations and plans to demolish parts of the East Wing to make room for the additions: at 55 percent and 54 percent, respectively.
Among independents, 22 percent approved of the renovations, while 23 percent were unsure; only 16 percent approved of the demolition, while 30 percent said they are not sure.
The survey, conducted on Oct. 21, included 2,038 adults and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
