White House tours are off the table for the foreseeable future, thanks to President Trump's push to add a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom to the historic residence. The administration recently pulled the plug on all upcoming tours—including those already confirmed for September—and won't be taking new requests, leaving roughly half a million would-be annual visitors in the lurch. Congressional offices and an internal email to tour coordinators cite "scheduled construction," "extensive renovations," and explicitly, the "construction of President Trump's new ballroom" as reasons for the freeze.
Typically, White House tour slots are opened 90 days in advance, but that all stopped in July without public explanation, the Washington Post reports. The offices of numerous members of Congress announced that tours had been suspended, reports NBC News. "Seriously? School trips. Families. All shut out indefinitely for the building of a ballroom?" Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a post on X, asking if the "millions" they canceled on would be invited back for a ball.
For tourists like Deanna Moberg, the timing was especially frustrating. After months of planning and a confirmed tour date, Moberg got a cancellation email in mid-August. She and her family are now settling for the White House Historical Association's exhibit, which features a detailed model and a replica Oval Office.
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While White House tours can be called off for security or scheduling reasons, long-term suspensions are rare, last seen after 9/11 and during government shutdowns. The proposed ballroom, set to seat over 600 and funded by private donations, marks the biggest change to the building in a century. "The nation was kind of blindsided by that," Moberg tells the Post. "It's the People's House, and construction of a ballroom kind of came out of nowhere."
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