WASHINGTON — The White House is suspending public tours because of the construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom initiated by President Donald Trump, a White House official said.
The official did not provide a timeline for when tours would resume, saying only that the suspension is temporary.
Constituents can typically request White House tours through their members of Congress, and several members stated on their websites that White House tours were paused.
The pause, first reported by Fox News, marks the largest public impact so far from the construction project, which the White House announced last month. The suspension comes just months after tours resumed during the Trump administration in late February. Thousands of people visit the White House each year, according to the White House Historical Association.
The office of Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said on his website that it could not submit tour requests starting in September "due to ongoing construction at the White House."
Similarly, the office of Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., said on its site that starting in September, "the White House will be undergoing extensive renovations. As a result, all tours of the White House are postponed indefinitely."
Other offices, including those of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.; Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.; and Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., say on their websites that the White House is pausing tours starting in September but do not provide a reason.
"Seriously?" Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a post to X. "School trips. Families. All shut out indefinitely for the building of a ballroom?"
The White House announced in July that it would start construction on the ballroom in September. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the time that prior administrations also wanted a large event space, and that "President Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future administrations and the American people."
Trump has reshaped the White House decor in his first several months back in office, adorning the Oval Office in gold decor and installing a patio in the Rose Garden. But the ballroom expansion marks the biggest change to the historic building.
Trump has said that the ballroom — which Leavitt said will cost $200 million — would be funded by himself and other donors.
