Melania Really Does Care About the East Wing Demolition. Do U?
Melania Trump is an unpredictable lady. Expect to see her at her step-daughter’s baby shower? Nope, she doesn’t see “any reason” to attend. Think she’ll avoid all yuletide-related subjects after everyone mocked her spooky White House holiday décor? She starts selling Christmas ornaments. Positive that the First Lady will live in the White House? The years-old game of “Where’s Melania?” continues.
So while you might assume that Melania wouldn’t really care about her husband knocking down the entire East Wing to build a ballroom, you’d be wrong. Or at least half wrong.
A Wall Street Journal report on how President Trump circumvented many layers of bureaucracy to start White House ballroom construction this month contains this tidbit about the First Lady:
Everyone, it seems, has an opinion about the project, even first lady Melania Trump, who privately raised concerns about tearing down the East Wing and told associates it wasn’t her project, according to administration officials.
In August, People reported that Melania was all in on her husband’s efforts to Mar-a-Lago-tize the White House by paving the Rose Garden and adding gold embellishments wherever possible.
“Anytime Melania and Donald can make the White House feel more like Mar-a-Lago, they will,” a source told the magazine. “They love Mar-a-Lago. Not only is it their home, but Donald personally created much of the current decor and takes pride in living there and showing it to other people.”
Perhaps Melania drew the line at flattening the East Wing because that’s where the First Lady’s offices were located. But she cared only enough to privately “raise concerns.” As CNN noted, she has declined to publicly comment on the demolition that uprooted her five-person staff:
The first lady has not publicly spoken about the demolition of the East Wing, which has served as the headquarters for presidential spouses since the Carter administration, even though its destruction has now upended her team’s office space and forced the halt of White House tours for the general public.
Her office declined to comment when asked by CNN if she had a reaction to the gutting of the historic wing. Crews began work this week to build President Donald Trump’s long-sought ballroom — sparking outcry among some former East Wing staffers of both parties. Asked if the first lady is supportive of the project, her office would not say.
Even if the answer is “absolutely not,” Melania does not seem like one to dwell on her failures. She’s already moved on to subtly letting it be known that the ballroom “wasn’t her project” — i.e., don’t blame her! Don’t be surprised if she’s selling ugly necklaces and NFTs celebrating the Donald J. Trump Ballroom by the end of his term.