Washington DC tourists are unhappy with the construction of the White House
Zach Anderson, USA TODAY’s White House correspondent, told tourists who flocked to the White House to see the construction site.
When Chelsea Clinton lived in the White House as a teenager in the 1990s, she knew it was the “people’s house.”
The 45-year-old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently “upset” that President Donald Trump demolished the historic building’s east wing to make way for a $300,000 ballroom.
In an op-ed for USA TODAY, Clinton acknowledged that past presidents and first ladies have made changes to the White House that have “added elements of efficiency, comfort and beauty.” But she said there was no evidence the president consulted with experts to preserve the building’s history and integrity.
“With less than a year left until we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, it is disturbing that such major renovations to the 225-year-old People’s Hall are being undertaken with no consideration for historic preservation and no involvement from historians, and I want to be proven wrong,” Clinton wrote.
The east wing traditionally houses the first lady’s office. When Hillary Clinton held office there, she worked to increase funding for research and treatment of cancer, AIDS, osteoporosis, and juvenile diabetes, and chaired the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. The entire building, where former first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Laura Bush also worked, was demolished this week, going against previous renovation plans.
The White House first announced plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom on July 31. At the time, President Trump told reporters that the addition “will be built on the east side and it’s going to be beautiful.”
The new construction follows a major renovation of the White House Rose Garden, which sparked backlash and comparisons to the president’s luxury Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. Earlier this summer, the grassy center of the rose garden was replaced with stone tiles and picnic tables with umbrellas.
“Given the widespread public condemnation of the persistence of the Rose Garden and its apparent reproduction as the ‘White House Rose Garden Club,’ and the outrage over the demolition of the East Wing, I am clearly not alone in my concerns,” Clinton wrote.
In her op-ed, Clinton said that Trump has “authority” over the White House grounds, but that always requires “stewardship.” Management “requires transparency, consultation, and historical accounting,” she writes.
“What is being demolished today is more than just marble and plaster. It reflects how easily history can be erased when power forgets purpose.”
Contributors: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Joey Garrison, Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
