Biden takes aim at Trump’s ballroom project, says East Wing demolition is ‘beneath the country’
WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Joe Biden has criticized President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House ballroom and the demolition of the East Wing, describing the changes as “beneath the country” and accusing him of trying to build monuments to himself.
In an interview with PEOPLE at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden also discussed the White House staff he misses, a private letter Trump left him after the 2020 election, and the 2024 presidential debate that intensified scrutiny of his reelection campaign.
Biden calls Trump’s White House ballroom project 'disturbing' and 'beneath the country'
When asked about Trump’s White House renovations, including the demolition of the East Wing to make way for a ballroom, Biden compared the project to the gold embellishments installed inside the White House and Oval Office.
“Almost as disturbing as the gold bars on the walls of the White House and the Oval Office,” Biden said. “I mean, what the hell are we talking about? I find it disturbing."
The former president said that he viewed the decision to demolish the East Wing and other changes to the presidential residence as an effort by Trump to leave behind projects associated with his own name.
“I’ve viewed the president’s judgment in tearing down the East Wing and a number of other things as nothing more than to try to create monuments to himself: ‘I built that.’ ” Biden added that he finds “it beneath the country.”
Trump’s changes to the White House have extended beyond the proposed ballroom. The president has replaced the Rose Garden lawn with pavers and installed a new helipad on the South Lawn, alongside the gold additions to the building’s interiors.
Biden says he misses the White House staff the most
Biden also spoke about what he misses most about living in the White House, pointing to the employees responsible for its daily operations and hosting visitors. “The staff, the people in the White House. They're good people, from the people making sure there's a sheet on the bed to the people who are taking care of all the visitors that come through,” he said.
The former Democratic leader added that the employees took pride in their responsibilities and understood the significance of working at the presidential residence. “They all have a sense of honor, what they’re doing in the White House. It’s the ‘People’s House.’”
Despite his criticism of Trump’s public conduct and White House changes, Biden recalled being surprised by the private letter his predecessor left for him in the Oval Office after the 2020 election. In his forthcoming memoir, 'Promise Me, America', Biden writes that it was “almost as if there were two Donald Trumps.”
