Donald Trump accused of erasing vital history during $300,000,000 White House 'renovation'
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, News
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, News
The US president has been accused of using the recent demolition of the White House's East Wing as a means of erasing vital political history.
Donald Trump first announced plans to build a $200 million (£151 million) ballroom inside the White House back in July, claiming it was necessary so that he could host international guests.
Last month, however, despite reassuring Americans that his ballroom 'wouldn't interfere with the current building', the presidential residence's entire East Wing would be torn to the ground.
Trump also confirmed that the ballroom would actually cost $300 million - funded by the president himself and 'other patriot donors'.
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The move resulted in the destruction of office spaces specifically built for the first lady and her staff, as well as meeting rooms and several special event spaces. The 'renovations' also saw the building's much-loved Rose Garden paved over, and the White House Family Theatre demolished.
Trump has since been accused of having ulterior motives for the construction project, with some critics suggesting that his focus on removing so many of the largely 'feminine' aspects of the presidential residence has been spurred by wanting to change the ins and outs of the first lady's position in politics.
Noting that the demolition falls in line with Melania Trump having adopted a more personal, private nature compared to her husband's first term in the White House, St Joseph's University professor of history, Katherine AS Sibley, has voiced an intriguing theory.
"The destruction of the East Wing just shows how little the White House cares about the position of First Lady," she told The Guardian.
Giving a shout out to the female powerhouses that previously resided in Washington D.C., Ohio University history professor Katherine Jellison paid homage to Eleanor Roosevelt.
Pointing out that the East Wing - in which she and her staff worked - received its most recent additions in 1942 while her husband was in power, Jellison added of Eleanor's legacy: "She was the greatest white ally Black America had at the time.
"An effective first lady like an Eleanor Roosevelt can make a real difference, not only politically, but in society."
Representatives of the Feminist Majority Foundation made the same point, paying homage to the legacy left by Melania's predecessors.
"Before then [Roosevelt], First Ladies did not have a designated space; instead, they worked out of their bedrooms, sitting rooms, and other small spaces they could find," a spokesperson recently explained on their website.
"The East Wing, from that day forward, became a space for Women’s History that was not just for show, symbolising a substantial move towards empowerment."
Jellison also referenced Rosalynn Carter's contribution to the role, being that she opened an office in the East Wing during her husband's term.
Barbara Bush also took up residence in one of the offices there in a bid to remove taboos surrounding AIDS, while Hillary Clinton fronted a movement aimed at improving the healthcare system across the States.
Similar, Laura Bush launched a mission to increase children's literacy from the East Wing, and just prior to Trump's first term, Michelle Obama fronted both the 'Let's Move' initiative to combat childhood obesity and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to improve nutrition in schools - all from the comfort of her White House office.
Discussing the impact that the removal of this space could have upon future First Lady's, charity representatives emphasised: "The creation of the East Wing as a professional space allowed First Ladies, and women alike, to be more than just their husbands' wives.
"Instead, they could become the passionate activists they were born to be. Disposing of the East Wing actively erases women’s involvement at the White House and that First Ladies can have meaningful agendas."
Feminist Majority Foundation representatives added: "It is our duty to preserve this country’s history in the fight for Women’s equality. The White House is the people’s house, and women’s history is American history.
"Instead of being erased, the East Wing, a symbol of this history, should not be overlooked in favor of a ballroom that will only promote exclusivity."
A White House spokesperson told Tyla: "President Trump is making the White House beautiful and giving it the glory it deserves at no cost to the taxpayer – something everyone should celebrate. Only people with a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome would find a problem with that."