Donald Trump has demolished the East Wing to make way for his $300 million ballroom. That meant the First Lady’s Office was removed, and reports suggest she wasn’t happy about it. Now, Donald Trump has responded to the rumors – and it turns out rumors weren’t far from the truth.
Donald Trump’s continued renovations and changes to the White House continue to stir up emotions. The president turned the Rose Garden into a concrete seating area, and when the East Wing, which housed the First Lady’s office among other historic rooms, was demolished, several former White House residents responded.
Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, responded with tough words to the project. Clinton wrote on X,” It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
On her podcast, Michelle Obama also criticized the project, saying, “When we talk about the East Wing, it is the heart of the work.”
“And to denigrate it, to tear it down, to pretend like it doesn’t matter — it’s a reflection of how you think of that role,” she added, per Vanity Fair.
Now, Donald Trump has responded to Michelle Obama’s criticism, stating that it was necessary to build the ballroom as it will keep White House guests dry during large events.
Melania Trump reportedly ‘worried’ about East Wing demolition
Trump has also previously stated that it was necessary to build a concrete seating area in the Rose Garden because people were slipping on the wet grass.
“If you have some big state event, we have no place to have it,” Trump said in a new interview with Fox host Laura Ingraham, “Obama wouldn’t mind this. Mrs. Obama, obviously, wouldn’t mind.”
The president continued, “They would put a tent on the lawn. It was a low section, because that’s the only section you have, so, it was a low section — iff it rained, you were sitting in six inches of water. It was a disaster.”
While several former Democratic first ladies criticized the East Wing demolition, it has been reported that First Lady Melania Trump shared similar feelings.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the First Lady previously expressed her worries behind closed doors. The newspaper, citing administration officials, claims she told her associates she has nothing to do with the project because it isn’t hers.
Meanwhile, while speaking with The Guardian, Katherine AS Sibley, a professor of history at St Joseph’s University, stated that the East Wing was “where first ladies could carry out the important work that they do.”
Donald Trump reveal Melania’s true feelings about new ballroom
But as it’s now been demolished, she continued, it says a lot about the Trump administration’s attitude toward Melania.
“The destruction of the East Wing just shows how little the White House cares about the position of first lady,” Sibley explained. “Had Obama proposed such a change, Michelle might have said, ‘Wait a minute. That is my office.’ It’s not surprising that [Melania’s] wish to keep the building maybe didn’t carry a lot of weight.”
Melania Trump has yet to publicly share her opinion on the changes coming to the White House. But in the Fox interview with host Laura Ingraham, Donald Trump confirmed that his wife wasn’t fully on board with the decision to demolish the East Wing.
“She loved her little, tiny office,” the president said, but added that Melania is starting to like it.
“She’s very smart,” he said of Melania, continuing to claim that “in about one day she — if you were to ask her now, she’d say, ‘It’s great.’”
“It looked like hell”
Trump further defended the decision to make room for the $300 million ballroom, which he says is financed by donations.
“The East Wing, that building was renovated 20 times, including adding a floor to the top, which was terrible. It was made out of common brick, little, tiny windows. It looked like hell.”
What do you think about Donald Trump’s decision to make room for the ballroom while tearing down the East Wing? Please share your thoughts in the comment section on Facebook!
