White House pauses public tours amid Trump ballroom construction
New tour bookings were 'paused proactively while a collaborative group of White House, U.S. Secret Service, National Park Service, and Executive Residence staff work to determine the best way to ensure public access to the White House as this project begins and for the duration of construction,' Nicholas Clemens, communications director for first lady Melania Trump, said in a Friday statement to The Hill.
'There have been zero tour cancelations due to the addition of the State Ballroom,' the first lady's spokesman said.
News of the pause on tours was first reported by Fox News.
Plans for the 90,000 square foot ballroom — expected to be built adjacent to the White House where the East Wing sits — were announced earlier this month, with the White House saying construction is expected to begin in September.
The cost for the multimillion-dollar project will be covered by Trump and other 'patriot donors,' according to the White House. The ballroom is poised to be completed before Trump leaves office in early 2029.
'I always said I was going to do something about the ballroom because they should have one,' Trump said about his vision for the new White House space, which has faced pushback from Democrats and critics of the president. 'So we'll be leaving it, it will be a great legacy project. And, I think it will be special,' Trump said.
Thousands of people visit the White House on free public tours, which are traditionally offered every Tuesday through Saturday.
Last year, while announcing a revamped public tour route, then-first lady Jill Biden said more than 10,000 visitors came through the White House's doors each week.
The pause, which began in early August, is expected to last through the month. It's unclear how long it could extend pending any updates to the major ballroom construction project but teams were working to minimize the length of the interruption, a White House official told The Hill.
'The White House tour route has evolved over presidencies, and we look forward to near-term updates about the new State Ballroom,' Clemens said in a statement.
'The President and First Lady remain committed to continuing the tradition of public access to the People's House in the present and for the future,' he said.
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