White House suspends tours while ballroom is under construction

The White House made the decision to temporarily suspend tours while the grand ballroom is being built. Work will begin in the next few weeks.

Nicholas Clemens, communications director for first lady Melania Trump, explained that bookings made by the public to see the White House "have been proactively paused."

However, he said that official visits by national or international officials, among other personalities, remain as they were scheduled.

"No visits have been canceled because of the addition of the state ballroom," Clemens said, in statements collected by The Hill.

A few days ago, the Trump administration reported the construction of a grand ballroom at the White House. The new facility will be funded entirely by the president and other donors interested in the project. It is estimated to cost about $200 million and will have about 90,000 square feet of space.