NEWSDonald Trump Boots Wife Melania From Her East Wing Office in the White House to Make Way for $200 Million Ballroom Construction
Melania Trump's office in the White House is being relocated.
July 31 2025, Published 5:41 p.m. ET
Melania Trump is packing up her things — sort of.
Donald Trump's Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Thursday, July 31, that the White House's East Wing will be home to a new ballroom, which she called a "much-needed and exquisite addition."
The East Wing holds the first lady's office and that of her staff, so their space will be relocated once construction starts in September.
Donald Trump Orders $200 Million Construction on the White House
Melania Trump's office in the White House has to be relocated due to the president's plans for a new ballroom.
The new space is slated to be 90,000 square feet and will hold 650 guests.
"The White House Ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House, but at the same time, its theme and architectural heritage will be almost identical," a press release revealed. "The site of the new ballroom will be where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits."
Construction is expected to wrap "long before the end of President Trump's term," assured Leavitt.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the new space is a 'much-needed and exquisite addition.'
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, with Leavitt claiming it's being funded by the president and private donors. The design will feature gold accents, chandeliers and tall columns.
McCrery Architects' CEO Jim McCrery called the space a "beautiful and necessary renovation to The People's House."
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Are Donald and Melania Trump Separated?
Author Michael Wolff claimed Donald and Melania Trump 'are separated.'
Melania most likely won't be too bothered by the relocation, as she's often not at the White House, choosing to spend most of her time in New York City with their 19-year-old son, Barron, who attends NYU.
Due to Melania's constant absence, divorce rumors have swirled — in fact, Michael Wolff, longtime biographer of the president, revealed on a May episode of “The Daily Beast Podcast” that the spouses barely spend time together.
"They clearly do not in any way inhabit a marriage as we define marriage. And I think maybe we can more specifically say they live separate lives. They are separated," he declared. "The President of the United States and the First Lady are separated.”
In the first 108 days of Donald Trump's second presidency, Melania was reportedly at the White for only 14 days.
Earlier this year, the former model gave a simple and vague answer when asked where she'll spend most of her days.
"I will be in the White House, and when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York," she said. "When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach."
In May, a report claimed the mother-of-one spent just 14 days at the White House in the first 108 days of her husband's second term.
