Tours of the White House are postponed “indefinitely” as construction is set to begin on President Donald Trump’s $200 million ballroom.
The new event space, which the president has said he is funding himself, will be built on the site of the White House’s East Wing, between the Executive Residence and Treasury Department headquarters.
Construction is due to begin on September 1, according to notices on the websites of some members of Congress.
Members of the public who had booked trips to Washington, D.C. to tour the White House next month have received cancellation notices, which can often occur at short notice. However, it remains unclear when the tours will start up again this time.
“Beginning on September 1st, 2025, the White House will be undergoing extensive renovations,” a statement on Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman’s website reads. “As a result, all tours of the White House are postponed indefinitely.”
Congressional staffers, familiar with the booking procedure for White House tours, told The Washington Post that the Trump administration stopped offering new dates for October around mid-July and did not offer a reason.
“Unfortunately, the White House has canceled and is no longer accepting tour requests for the month of September due to the construction of a new ballroom on the White House grounds,” one email to a disappointed constituent read, according to the outlet. “I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and understand how this may be disappointing news.”
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobucher criticized the administration for cancelling on “millions” who hoped to tour the building.
“Seriously? School trips. Families. All shut out indefinitely for the building of a ballroom?” Kloubucher wrote in a post on X. “Are the millions they cancelled on all going to be invited back for a ball?”
People expressed their disappointment about the cancellations on social media. One user in a Reddit channel about D.C. travel tips complained that they booked a tour for their birthday “through the appropriate channels” but were notified last week that it was canceled.
“Once approved I purchased my wife and I’s flight and hotel and this morning I ended up getting this email. After spending several thousands of dollars and taking the time off is it even worth taking the trip out there with all the B.S going on?” the user wrote, appearing to reference Trump’s federal takeover of D.C.
“I just called to schedule a tour and was told because of the upcoming renovations, all tours are on hold and nothing could be booked,” another person complained on Facebook.
Some social media users noted that the White House tour “isn’t even that good” and advised visitors to check out the People’s House, monuments and free museums the city has to offer instead.
“I’ve done the white house tour several times (local so I go with visitors) and it’s really not that great,” one D.C. resident advised a disappointed visitor on a Facebook thread. “You don’t see a whole lot and it’s so much effort for max 1 hour of touring.”
“I was super excited for the White House tour during our trip and it turned out to be a bit underwhelming,” another said. “Waiting in the queue was long (around 90 mins for us) and the actual tour was about 30 mins. You don’t get to roam free, you follow a guided path and before you know it, you’re already at the exit.”
“Mine was also canceled. We ended up at The Peoples House and then hopped over to the visitor center,” another person said. “We had the best time and truly think it ended up being better for kids than the tour!”
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has given the historic building a makeover that is more to his taste.
His “gold guy,” a cabinetmaker he previously employed at Mar-a-Lago, was drafted into the Oval Office. Now the iconic room is furnished with lashings of gold.
Trump has also paved over the Kennedy Rose Garden so that it resembles his Palm Beach social club.
