President Donald Trump was addressing an East Room event on Thursday when he paused to indicate the huge, active construction site nearby where a new ballroom is being built – and where the East Wing was demolished to make room.
READ MORE: The East Wing of the White House has been demolished. Here's a look at its history
"In about two years from now, we'll use a much bigger room," Trump said, adding that the new ballroom's entrance will be "right here" and suggested that the project might require removing more of the existing White House.
"It looks pretty nice right now. It'll look a lot better in a little while," Trump said. He also said the ballroom has "really become very popular" – an assertion the president has frequently repeated that is not backed up by recent polling.