Donald Trump reveals he got ‘heat’ from wife Melania over White House Rose Garden makeover

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump’s lavish White House makeover didn’t just spark outrage among his opponents, it reportedly stirred tension behind closed doors, too.

The 79-year-old president recently revealed that he faced "heat" from his wife, Melania Trump, over one particular part of White House redecoration.

Trump has been spending heavily to renovate the White House, which includes his plan to construct a massive, privately funded, $400 million, 90,000-square-foot state ballroom on the site of the former East Wing, designed to host up to 1,350 guests for major events.

Trump admits WH garden makeover didn’t sit well with Melania Trump

Trump, on Monday, May 11, greeted attendees at a Rose Garden Club dinner with an address about the changes he’s made to the White House exterior.

He noted that one particular change was not very appreciated by the first lady. “I want to welcome you to the Rose Garden. You know, this is a whole new thing,” the president said, gesturing to the newly installed patio. 

“This used to be grass. And I took a little heat from my wife, she said, uh, ‘Darling, what did you do with my grass?’ I said, ‘People got tired of standing in mud,’” the POTUS added. 

“You know, the White House—you don’t realize this—it’s built on a wetland. So when it doesn’t—it didn’t have to rain. The grass was always soaking wet. If you had a news conference, the reporters—who are back there, I think—the reporters, they walk out with their shoes. The female reporters, in particular, they weren’t thrilled,” he went on.

Trump calls White House a 's**t house'

Later in the speech, Trump said the historic People’s House was a "s**t house" before he took over. 

“This place was not properly taken care of,” he said. “I was told by my wife, ‘You have to act presidential, so don’t use foul language.’ I won’t, therefore.”

“Normally, I would have said it was a s**t house. But I don’t want to say that," he added.

Trump boasted that the historic White House is now “tippy-top,” highlighting the newly installed black granite walkway along the West Wing Colonnade, which he emphasized was designed to be “no-slip.” "I paid for it myself," he stressed. 

Since returning to the office, the president has dramatically reshaped the White House with a series of flashy renovations, from covering the Oval Office in gold accents to bulldozing the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden and tearing down the East Wing to clear space for his planned $400 million ballroom, a project he again promoted on Monday.

“The big thing is, we’re building a ballroom in the back, which will be, I think, the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world. You’ll never see anything like it,” Trump said, adding, “And it’ll also be very safe, it’s got glass this thick.”