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Michelle Obama on East Wing demolition: ‘I felt a loss for us as a nation’ – The Washington Post

The former first lady said her feelings stemmed from the country and its shared traditions, rather than a personal attachment to the building Trump knocked down to build a ballroom.

November 25, 2025 at 1:47 p.m. EST, Today at 1:47 p.m. EST, 2 min

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks about her book “The Look” during an event in Washington earlier this month. (Allison Robbert / AP)

Michelle Obama on East Wing demolition: ‘I felt a loss for us as a nation’

By Brianna Tucker

Former first lady Michelle Obama said she felt “a loss for us as a nation” when asked about President Donald Trump’s demolition of the East Wing for a massive new ballroom.

Obama, who was first lady during President Barack Obama’s two terms from 2009 to 2017, shared her response to the removal of the century-old annex in an episode of Jamie Kern Lima’s podcast Tuesday, saying her feelings stemmed from the country and its shared traditions, rather than a personal attachment to the space.

“I think in my body, I felt confusion because I’m like, who are we? What do we value? And who decides that?” Obama said. “That’s the thing that’s going through my head a lot lately. Who are we? What are the rules? Because I’m confused by what are our norms and our mores — not the laws — but how do we live together? That’s the part of it that hurts.”

“I think I felt a loss for us as a nation, but personally, you know … that’s not our house. That’s the people’s house,” she added.

Video 0:54 seconds…

Between October 20 and 23, crews tore down sections of the East Wing of the White House to make way for a $300 million ballroom planned by President Trump. (Video: The Washington Post)

The East Wing has typically housed the first lady’s office and staff, and served as a hub for her public initiatives.

In October, Trump tore down the East Wing of the White House to make room for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom building he estimates will cost $300 million.

The project is one of several transformations the Trump administration has pursued within the White House complex. Since returning to office, he has paved the Rose Garden, erected a pair of 88-foot-tall flagpoles on the North and South lawns, covered the Lincoln Bathroom in marble and mused about potentially painting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building — saying the 137-year-old federal property “was always considered an ugly building.”

In podcast interviews and appearances this year, Obama has grown more vocal about her concerns over Trump’s second term, explaining her decision to skip Trump’s second inauguration in January, and warning that his immigration policies and approach to governing threaten the nation’s values and identity.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Michelle Obama on East Wing demolition: ‘I felt a loss for us as a nation’ – The Washington Post

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DrWeb Oct 23

Can anyone stop Trump’s teardown of the East Wing? – The Washington Post

Can anyone stop Trump’s teardown of the East Wing?

Many preservationists fear the answer is no. A pro-Trump review board is expected to approve the president’s planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, too.

Editor’s Note: The featured image is by WP AI.

October 22, 2025 at 2:49 p.m. EDT, Yesterday at 2:49 p.m. EDT, 12 min

Demolition crews continue dismantling parts of the East Wing of the White House on Wednesday. The work is part of preparations for the construction of a new ballroom, ordered by President Donald Trump. (Peter W. Stevenson/The Washington Post)

By Dan Diamond, Paul Schwartzman and Jonathan Edwards

President Donald Trump’s plan to build a White House ballroom has underscored an oft-overlooked aspect of presidential power: No one could stop the president from tearing down much of the East Wing this week.

The next stage of the project is also likely to proceed withfew restraints: The key panel slated to review the president’s construction plans is now stocked with Trump allies ready to approve them.

White House demolition continues, see the ballroom design — Demolition crews continued tearing down part of the White House East Wing on Oct. 22 to make way for President Donald Trump’s long-planned ballroom. (Video: Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post)

Photos of construction teams knocking down portions of the East Wing, first revealed by The Washington Post on Monday, have rattled city residents, historians and politicians, many of whom contended that Trump was wrongly tearing apart “The People’s House” to build his long-desired ballroom.

“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” Hillary Clinton, who battled Trump for the presidency in 2016, wrote on social media.

Others contend that Trump’s shifting projections and promises — such as pledging in July that the ballroom wouldn’t “interfere” with the White House, and increasing his estimate of cost and how many people will fit in the building — illustrate the need for more transparency. Conservative commentator Byron York said Trump “needs to tell the public now what he is doing with the East Wing of the White House. And then tell the public why he didn’t tell them before he started doing it.”

It’s not his house.

It’s your house.

And he’s destroying it. pic.twitter.com/YchFF5U1nO

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 21, 2025

Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League, a nonprofit that advocates for protecting historic sites in Washington, said dozens of concerned citizens from the city and around the country have called and emailed her to express outrage.

Miller said she has had to explain that the White House, because of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, is exempt from the required reviews that other federal agencies must undergo when seeking to alter government property.

“Our hands are tied,” Miller said, adding that normally government officials discuss major projects with preservationists — but not this time. “It’s very frustrating that there’s nothing that the organization can do from a legal or advocacy perspective.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit created by Congress to help preserve historic buildings, urged the administration “to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes,” including a pair of commissions that have reviewed past White House construction.

Polls have shown many Americans are concerned. YouGov polling conducted Tuesday found that 53 percent opposed demolishing part of the East Wing, 23 percent supported it and the remainder were unsure. YouGov also found that 23 percent believed the ballroom will have a positive effect on the White House, 35 percent believed it will have a negative effect, and the remainder were neutral or unsure.

But the project is moving forward. White House officials said Tuesday to expect a full-scale teardown of the East Wing, defending it as a “modernization” of the building. They also touted past renovations, circulating a fact sheet that argued Trump was continuing a “proud presidential legacy” of changing the White House grounds — although the swimming pool, tennis pavilion and other past projects they highlighted pale next to the president’s planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which would be nearly twice the footprint of the 55,000-square-foot main sectionof the White House next door. Trump said this week that the ballroom will seat nearly 1,000 people, up from an earlier estimate of about 650.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Can anyone stop Trump’s teardown of the East Wing? – The Washington Post

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