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A demolition job that began yesterday with the disappearance of the White House’s eastern entrance advanced today with the destruction of much of the East Wing, according to a photograph obtained by the Washington Post and two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the scene.

Photos of construction teams knocking down parts of the East Wing, first revealed by the Washington Post yesterday, shocked preservationists, raised questions about White House overreach and lack of transparency, and sparked complaints from Democrats that United States President Donald Trump was damaging “The People’s House” to pursue a personal priority.

“They’re wrecking it,” said Martha Joynt Kumar, a political scientist and professor emeritus at Towson University in Maryland.

“And these are changes that can’t be undone. They’re destroying that history forever.”

White House officials dismissed the criticism as “manufactured outrage”, arguing that past presidents had pursued their own changes to the executive campus as necessary. They said that the privately funded ballroom will be a “bold, necessary addition” to the presidential grounds.

“For more than a century, US Presidents have been renovating, expanding, and modernising the White House to meet the needs of the present day,” the White House’s rapid-response team posted on social media, listing examples of prior campus construction.

A White House spokesman said that the “entirety” of the East Wing would eventually be “modernised and rebuilt”.

Trump has long touted his plans for an expansive ballroom, insisting that presidents needed the space to host large events. He also said in July that the construction of the planned addition would not affect the existing White House.

A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said today that historic artefacts of the East Wing had been “preserved and stored” under the supervision of the White House Executive Residence and the National Park Service with support from the White House Historical Association, a non-profit organisation.

The official cited items such as elements from Rosalynn Carter’s Office of the first lady and said that there were plans to use them. The person did not say whether any of the building itself would also be saved.

The Treasury Department yesterday instructed employees not to take or share photos of the construction project without permission, according to a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail an internal email.

The Treasury headquarters is next to the White House, with some of its offices providing a close view of the East Wing. Areas where the demolition is viewable are closed to the public, fuelling criticism about the Trump Administration’s lack of transparency.

One of the people who witnessed the demolition today said that views of the site from the Treasury headquarters amplify the demolition, but a large part of the structure remained.

However, it appeared that what remained was also headed for demolition, with no evidence that the structure was being protected and only jagged damage visible in the exposed building.

Aceco, a company that bills itself as “the premier demolition contractor in the DC area,” has been responsible for the demolition work, according to photographs released this week. Aceco did not respond to questions about its involvement in the ballroom project. The company’s website was largely taken down today and replaced with a new message: “This site is under construction”.

The East Wing is one of the most well-known parts of the White House, having also been used for decades as the entrance for almost all visitors touring the White House.

For years, millions of visitors submitted to US Secret Service security checks at an outbuilding before making their way towards the East Wing.

The stroll allowed them to shake off the experience of enduring a security checkpoint and start to feel the aura of the White House, said James McDaniel, who was the National Park Service White House liaison from 1984 to 2002.

Upon entering, they could walk through a sun-soaked colonnade, enjoying the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on the left and photos of significant historical moments on the right.

“It represented the non-political side, the softer side of White House operations,” McDaniel said.