Michelle Obama Critiques Trump’s East Wing Demolition
During an NBC interview on Tuesday, former First Lady Michelle Obama expressed her disapproval of President Donald Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House.
While reminiscing about her time in the White House, she spoke with NBC’s Jenna Bush Hager on the show “Today with Jenna & Friends” to promote Hager’s new book, “The Look.” She humorously pointed out that “there’s no guidebook” for the challenges encountered while serving as First Lady.
Discussing the controversy over the construction changes, Obama remarked, “We have almost no staff. We don’t even have a building right now.” The East Wing was torn down to pave the way for a planned $250 million ballroom, a decision that many Democrats have criticized as an attempt to erase a vital part of the building’s history.
Obama and her family spent eight years in the White House, where the East Wing previously housed the office and staff of the First Lady.
Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, lightheartedly noted, “I know, peace in the East Tower.”
Former First Family members Hillary and Chelsea Clinton have also openly criticized the demolition in recent weeks.
Michelle Obama, notably the first African American woman in the role of First Lady, shared that she felt her family faced more scrutiny than others. “The light got a little brighter because politics created otherness,” she stated, reflecting on how some people depicted their actions as indicative of being unqualified or un-American. “I don’t think any other family has dealt with criticism like that,” she added, perhaps somewhat introspectively.
Online reactions to the photos of the construction site have generated significant outrage.
The Trump administration has defended the destruction, with a statement claiming, “The disenfranchised left and its fake news allies are clutching their pearls over the visionary addition of President Donald J. Trump’s privately funded grand ballroom,” labeling the project as “a bold and necessary addition.” Officials also pointed out that previous presidents have enacted major modifications during their tenures, listing examples like President Theodore Roosevelt’s West Wing addition, Obama’s basketball court, and President Bill Clinton’s renovations.
