Chelsea Clinton condemned the Trump administration’s complete demolition of the East Wing of the White House in an op-ed published Thursday, calling it “a reflection of how easily history can be erased when power forgets the purpose.”
In Op-ed published by USA TodayThe former first daughter wrote that President Trump “has the right … to pave the Rose Garden (and deprive it of roses) as well as turn the East Wing into a ballroom.”
He described Trump’s reported requests to change exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution and national parks as a “disregard for history.” [which] is a defining characteristic.”
“This is what happens when we inherit a wrecking ball,” he wrote.
He added, “Disregarding our democratic institutions and the rule of law or seizing funds already approved by Congress are equal sources of disregard for our founding ideals and the norms and laws that have helped us move over time closer to a more perfect union, the core calling of our American Constitution.”
Reflecting on her formative years in the White House during her father Bill Clinton’s presidency, Chelsea Clinton said, “I never once thought, ‘This is my house’ as my friends thought of them.”
He recalled being visited by First Lady Barbara Bush after Bill Clinton’s 1992 election victory. Eight years later, “My family will welcome the Bush family back,” Chelsea Clinton wrote.
He further said, the White House is a “temporary home” that is changed by every president and his family. He names those who made changes to the Executive Mansion, including the opening of the West Wing by President Theodore Roosevelt and alterations to the East Wing by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which included a movie theater, offices, and an underground bunker.
,[First lady Jacqueline] Chelsea Clinton wrote, “Kennedy famously redecorated the state rooms.” “My mother [former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton] The first First Lady to bring contemporary art into the White House was Georgia O’Keeffe.”
He added, “First Lady Michelle Obama created a vegetable garden (my mother only had plants on her rooftop full of tomatoes).” “And Mrs. Melania Trump, during her husband’s first term, renovated the Rose Garden, adding limestone walkways and preserving the surrounding flowers.”
donald trump jr shared Chelsea Clinton’s Post on social media site Where he shared his op-ed. He clapped back at his father’s criticism.
“Lol, your parents tried to steal furniture and silverware from the White House,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote. “And let’s not talk about the intern. Sit it out.”
Demolition of the east wing was completed on Thursday. President Trump plans to replace the space with a massive ballroom, estimated to cost $250 million and to be completed before the end of his term in 2029.
Since it began as a colonnade installation during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, The East Wing has been a source of controversy throughout its more than 200-year history. The opposing Federalist Party suggested that the colonnades reflected Jefferson’s “aristocratic tendencies.” White House Historical Association (WHHA).
The WHHA said on its website that in 1944, Republicans described the construction of an underground bunker and offices within the East Wing as wasteful and accused FDR of using the White House makeover to improve his image.
“The secretive nature of the construction involving military purposes further heightened suspicion,” the WHHA reported. “However, the usefulness of the East Wing in supporting the modern presidency ultimately silenced the critics.”
