The next White House renovation project under Donald Trump has been mockingly referred to as a "big white blob."
A $300 million renovation of the East Wing of the White House is underway, with the president set on constructing a ballroom capable of hosting world leaders. It seems Trump has further plans for the White House too, with initial plans for a renovation of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building shared by the president.
The design for the EEOB was met with mockery from Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who suggested it was more a "big white blob" than anything else. Trump refuted this claim and suggested his redesign would actually bring out the detail of the building, rather than having it look like a splotch.
Trump shared a photo of the proposed redesign of the 137-year-old building, saying, "Look at that, how beautiful is that?" Ingraham replied, "Are you not worried it's like... a big white blob?" Trump disagreed, replying, "No, what it does is it brings out the detail." Trump is unsure of whether the renovation of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building will go ahead, but did say he's "getting bids" for the project.
He added, "I don’t even know if I’m going to do it yet, I’m getting costs, I’m getting bids right now from painters, and we’ll see. It would be a great addition to Washington." Trump was roundly criticized for knocking through the East Wing to make way for a ballroom.
One presidential historian likened the change to "slashing a Rembrandt painting." Douglas Brinkley said, "Maybe it’s just the dislike of change on my part, but it seemed painful, almost like slashing a Rembrandt painting. Or defacing a Michelangelo sculpture." An announcement for the White House Ballroom construction came on July 31 this year, with an official statement claiming that, once finished, the room would be "enjoyed by future Administrations".
The statement reads, "President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail. The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come."