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Melania Complains of Round-the-Clock White House Construction Noise; Trump Quips "That's Progress"

President Trump said first lady Melania Trump is unhappy with 24/7 pile-driver noise from construction at the White House site where the East Wing stood. He joked that his reply is, “Sorry, darling, that’s progress.” The planned renovation—partly funded through private donors—would add roughly 90,000 square feet of ballroom space and has prompted mixed reactions from lawmakers and the public. Trump has defended the project, citing his experience building large event spaces.

04:29 AM, 12/03/2025Politics

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that first lady Melania Trump is unhappy with the ongoing construction noise at the White House site where the East Wing once stood, as crews work on a new ballroom.

“I wouldn’t say my wife is thrilled. She hears pile drivers in the background, all day, all night,” the president told reporters, saying Melania often asks, “Darling, could you turn off the pile drivers?” He added with a smile, “Sorry, darling, that’s progress.”

The overhaul has drawn criticism from lawmakers and members of the public, who are divided over whether such an extensive renovation of the White House grounds is appropriate. The administration has sought private donors to help cover development costs, and officials point to expanded seating for events as a key benefit of demolishing the former East Wing.

During a recent interview on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle, Mr. Trump defended his role in the project and cited his experience in building large event spaces. “I built many ballrooms in many buildings,” he said. “And that’s my greatest strength, actually. I might as well do this.”

The new ballroom area is reported to be about 90,000 square feet. In the interview, Trump described the old East Wing as a mismatched, heavily altered structure and said constructing a new, larger ballroom would better serve official events.

“It was a poor, sad sight, and I could have built the ballroom around it, but it would not have been — we’re building one of the greatest ballrooms in the world,” he said.

The project’s timeline and final cost remain subjects of public scrutiny. Residents near the construction site and preservation advocates have raised concerns about noise, historical preservation and the appropriateness of private funding for changes to the White House grounds.

Sources: Statements by President Donald Trump; interview on The Ingraham Angle.

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