White House Suspends Public Tours For Trump's Ballroom Construction

Trump’s Rose Garden redesign, ballroom plans spark controversy

President Donald Trump’s Rose Garden redesign drew mixed reactions and stirred controversy after its reveal.

• The White House suspended public tours in anticipation of construction of Trump's proposed ballroom addition.
• Lawmakers who line up tours for constituents have been apologizing for the inconvenience but are accepting requests for when the ballroom construction is completed.

WASHINGTON – The White House has suspended popular public tours of the historic building during President Donald Trump’s planned construction of a new ballroom.

The White House hasn’t announced how long the hiatus in tours will last. But lawmakers who arrange tours for their constituents – subject to White House approval – are warning that none are expected for the indefinite future.

“The Trump Administration has announced that as of September 1, 2025, the White House will be unavailable for tours due to construction of the White House Ballroom near the tour route in the East Wing of the White House,” said the website for Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Tours are perennially popular and are booked weeks or months in advance. The White House distributed 6,000 tickets per day during the Reagan administration and hosted 10,000 visitors per week during the Biden administration.

The White House decides who gets tickets, but lawmakers collect requests for tours with background information about the applicants for security checks. Lawmakers warn that the demand is heavy and requests should be made at least a week and preferably months ahead of time.

Sharon Nichols, a spokesperson for Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, said the White House has told lawmakers tours aren't canceled but merely "paused" temporarily. Norton's office received 18 requests for tours in the last month and the office is telling constituents they were waiting for more information about when tours will resume, Nichols said.

The office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said tours were suspended in September “due to on-site construction” but that “tours may be requested for a later date, subject to availability and guidance from the White House.”

The office of Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Florida, said “scheduled construction has temporarily suspended White House tour bookings.” But he suggest a tour of “The People’s House Exhibit” the White House Historical Association offers across the street from the historic building.

The office of Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colorado, said she would accept requests for October but it was not clear when the tours would resume.

Trump announced the ballroom project in July to offer more space for hosting events than the East Room, which holds about 200 people. Construction is expected to begin in September.

The $200 million project, which will be funded by private contributions, aims to add 90,000 square feet of space for seating 650 people. The expansion is significant to the current 55,000 square feet for the state floor, ground floor and residence portions of the building – not counting the East or West wings.

The project is one of several Trump pursued at the White House. He has also paved the Rose Garden, which remains surrounded by the iconic bushes, and added gold decorations to the Oval Office.

Tours had led visitors through public rooms in the East Wing and the residence including the Vermeil Room, the Library, the China Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, the Green Room and the State Dining Room. Guides offer explanations of each room’s history, art and furnishings.

For example, the oval Blue Room, which offers a view of the Washington and Jefferson memorials, is filled with French Empire-style furniture that President James Monroe chose in 1817, according the White House Historical Association. The Vermeil Room houses a collection of gilded silver bequeathed by Margaret Thompson Biddle in 1956 during the Eisenhower administration.

Other than federal holidays, tours has been available generally on Tuesday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.