Melania warned Trump not to say what he really thought about the White House when he moved in. He walked up to the dinner mic and said it anyway

President Donald Trump recently revealed his honest opinion about the condition of the White House when he first moved back in last January, calling it a “s— house.” The comment came during a dinner speech where he also spoke about his plans to renovate the building and add a new ballroom. 

According to The Washington Examiner, Trump joked that he had not wanted to use that kind of language in front of his wife, Melania, but said it anyway. The President’s renovation plans include a $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom that is set to be completed in the summer of 2028. 

The project required the demolition of the East Wing, which previously housed the offices of the first lady and the White House movie theater. Critics have argued that tearing down the East Wing is an irreversible loss.

Trump’s sweeping makeover of Washington’s most historic landmarks is proving deeply controversial

Despite the backlash, Trump remains fully committed to the project. He has described the new ballroom as “the Greatest of its kind ever built,” saying it will match the existing White House in height and scale. He also pointed to safety features, saying the structure will have 6-inch glass that you could “look through it and you can see as perfectly as though it weren’t there,” referencing a recent attempt on his life at a press gala in April.

Trump’s renovation ambitions go well beyond the White House. He has taken over the Kennedy Center, which he has renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, and announced it will close for two years beginning July 4 for a major overhaul. Trump says the building has serious problems with plumbing and crumbling masonry. 

Since his takeover, the center has seen a wave of show cancellations and falling ticket sales. His broader domestic agenda has also been making headlines, as Trump has been pushing federal agencies to buy American-made products as part of his America First policy push.

According to Reuters, preservationists have pushed back hard against the Kennedy Center plans. Critics have noted that Trump’s assurances that he will not tear down the building echo his earlier promises not to demolish the East Wing of the White House, which he ultimately did.

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has also been caught up in the controversy. Trump has said the pool was in poor condition and has had it resurfaced with what he called “American flag blue” materials. He also posted an AI-generated image on social media showing a shirtless version of himself and other cabinet officials floating in the pool.

Another planned project is a 250-foot-high arch called Trump’s Independence Arch, designed to be built across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. The structure is reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 

Aviation experts have raised concerns that the arch could interfere with the flight path of planes on their final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Meanwhile, Trump has also been dealing with tensions on the foreign policy front, having recently slammed Iran’s response to a peace proposal and called it “totally unacceptable.”

The Oval Office has also been redecorated, with Trump adding gold accents and various statuettes throughout the room. The changes have given the space what many observers describe as a cluttered, old library feel compared to how previous presidents had decorated it.

A White House spokesperson defended the overall renovation effort, saying: “The President is committed to preserving the history and heritage of the White House, while also making it a more functional and comfortable space for the First Family and staff.” 

However, critics see it differently. “The President’s renovation plans are a clear example of his disregard for the history and heritage of the White House,” said a spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.