President Donald Trump slammed former First Lady Michelle Obama’s criticism of his White House East Wing renovation on Monday — and she won’t like what Trump had to say one bit.
Trump defended his historic plans to build what he called one of the greatest ballrooms in the world at the White House, which costs taxpayers absolutely nothing.
Trump responded to Obama’s recent attacks during an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“The East Wing is being spent by private donors. It’s a $250… $300 million building. It’s going to be the most beautiful anywhere in the world,” Trump said.
The president said the old White House East Wing was inadequate for hosting world leaders, and forced the president to host events inside tents.
“They had an event the other day. With tables, they could hold 79 people [at the White House]. Now, if you have President Xi from China, or if you have some big state event, we have no place to have it. You know what they did?” he asked. “They will put a tent on the lawn. It was a low section because that’s the only section you have… If it rained, you were sitting in six inches of water. It was a disaster.”
Obama criticized the East Wing demolition during appearances last week, and said it proved Trump and his supporters are sexist.
“When we talk about the East Wing, it is the heart of the work,” Obama said Wednesday. “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.”
Later, Michelle Obama took another swipe at the historic project.
“There’s no guidebook,” Obama complained about being first lady. “There’s barely a staff. Now we don’t have a building.”
Trump countered by pointing to the White House’s history of big changes as the key to making it such an iconic building.
“That building was renovated 20 times, including adding a floor to the top, which was terrible,” Trump said. “It looked like hell. It had nothing to do with the original building, and I didn’t want to sacrifice a great ballroom for an okay ballroom by leaving it right smack in the middle.”
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project is being funded entirely by private donors, including corporations such as Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft. The White House originally estimated the cost at $200 million but Trump has since said it will be $300 million.
The ballroom would give the White House a much-needed formal state ballroom for the first time in history. Trump said the new facility will expand seating capacity from 200 people to 999 people. The development will adhere to the classical design of the White House.
During the Obama administration, the White House underwent a $376 million renovation that improved infrastructure in the East and West Wings, including underground utility work.
The Obama-era project was the biggest White House upgrade since President Harry Truman was in office from 1948 to 1952, when Truman oversaw the White House’s historic gutting and renovation over significant structural issues.
Trump announced the start of construction in October. Demolition of the East Wing began last month to make room for the new ballroom. Plans call for the ballroom to be ready before Trump’s term ends in January 2029.