Fact Check: Did construction company call out Trump over unpaid East Wing demolition bills?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid growing controversy over the White House East Wing demolition, an online rumor claims that ACECO Engineering & Construction, a company involved in the project, publicly called out President Donald Trump over unpaid bills.
The East Wing, a historic two-story section of the White House, was torn down to make way for Trump’s new 90,000-square-foot ballroom project.
Claim: ACECO called out Trump over unpaid bills
A claim circulated online in early November 2025 alleging that ACECO Engineering & Construction, the company handling the White House East Wing demolition, publicly called out President Donald Trump over unpaid bills. The demolition began in late October to make way for Trump’s planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Trump initially told reporters that private donors, not taxpayer money, would fund the project and that the ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building.” However, contractors ended up demolishing the entire East Wing.
The claim gained traction on social media. One Threads user, ‘trendingtales30ers,’ wrote: “JUST IN; ACECO Engineering & Construction, the firm in charge of the White House East Wing demolition, has called out President Donald Trump over unpaid balances for their services in demolishing the historic building.”
The story quickly spread across X, Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
Fact Check: False, no evidence to back the viral claim
Although the rumor spread widely across social media, it is false. It appears to have originated from an article on USAmidia, a website known for publishing exaggerated or fabricated stories.
The article included a statement allegedly from a spokesperson for ACECO Engineering & Construction, claiming the company worked on the White House East Wing demolition and that several invoices remained unpaid.
The statement read, “We carried out our work in good faith, under a federal contract approved by the Trump administration. However, despite repeated communications, several invoices remain unpaid. We are now left with no choice but to pursue appropriate legal and administrative action to recover what is owed..”
A search on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo found no evidence that any reputable news outlet had reported the statement. Further investigation revealed that the ACECO Engineering & Construction named in USAmidia’s article is actually a company based in the United Arab Emirates, using a different logo and name from the Maryland-based ACECO that handled the East Wing demolition. USAmidia used images showing the Maryland company’s logo while attributing statements to the UAE firm.
There was also no record of the article’s claimed author, Melinda Holbert, on X, Facebook, or Google. Media Bias lists USAmidia as “a clickbait entertainment site that publishes sensationalist and often false news with no transparency and no editorial accountability."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
