The White House has started demolishing part of the East Wing to begin building President Trump’s $250 million ballroom. The demolition comes despite the fact that the National Capital Planning Commission, a federal agency responsible for major renovations to government buildings in Washington, D.C., has not approved the construction work. Last week, Trump held a White House dinner to thank donors from Silicon Valley, Wall Street and the weapons industry for funding his ballroom. According to The Wall Street Journal, representatives from Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon.com and Palantir all attended the dinner, with some offering as much as $25 million. Democratic Congressmember Darren Soto wrote on social media, “Trump’s billionaire ballroom. This is a disgrace. Welcome to the Second Gilded Age.”