President Donald Trump has announced plans to commemorate himself by naming a new $300 million ballroom after his own legacy. This ambitious project involves demolishing the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for what officials call ‘The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom,’ as reported by ABC News. Trump has yet to officially reveal the ballroom’s name, but his history in real estate—where he often emblazoned his name on skyscrapers—suggests a personal branding approach.

The White House has projected that the ballroom will be completed by the end of Trump’s term in January 2029, though no exact timeline has been provided. Some experts consider this timeline quite optimistic. When questioned by ABC News Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce about the ballroom’s name, Trump responded cryptically, saying, “I won’t get into that now,” while smiling. It’s reported that $350 million has already been raised for the project, despite initial estimates of $300 million.

A White House representative mentioned that Trump has received “positive and overwhelming support” for the ballroom, leading to continued financial contributions. Trump has also expressed intentions to personally donate millions towards the project. The list of private donors includes high-profile executives from leading tech giants such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. The project has already begun with the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to accommodate the new ballroom.

Trump had originally claimed that the 83-year-old building wouldn’t be touched in the construction of the $250 million privately funded ballroom. But when a backhoe was pictured on Monday smashing through the walls of the historic building, it set off alarm bells. First Lady Melania Trump, meanwhile, has been silent about the demolition despite the fact the East Wing holds the offices of her entire staff.

White House tours are now halted for the general public during the ballroom’s construction. The president held up pictures of the ornate ballroom during the meeting and a model of how the White House complex will look once the new wing was completed sat out on the table. ‘In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,’ the president explained inside the Oval Office on Wednesday as he hit out at the photos that were released of the demolition.

The White House was initially cagey about what the plans for the East Wing were, with suggestions that part of the structure would remain intact. Trump, announcing the ballroom earlier this year, claimed: ‘It 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.’

Traditionally, past presidents do not name monuments or structures inside or outside the White House after themselves especially while they are in office. ‘Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources,’ White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Daily Mail.