Hillary Clinton invokes Saddam Hussein to describe Trump's gold-heavy White House
WASHINGTON, DC: Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized the White House makeover being undertaken by Donald Trump, arguing the gold-heavy décor reflects the president's personality and compared the appearance with Saddam Hussein’s palaces.
Gold-heavy décor has become a hallmark of Trump's White House renovation, prominently concentrated in ceilings, plasterwork, door frames, and furniture, among others.
Hillary Clinton slams Trump's White House makeover
Appearing on the 'Pivot' podcast hosted by Kara Swisher, which was published on Friday, August 7, Hillary Clinton blasted the White House makeover, saying Trump’s “tackied up” décor is “reminiscent” of dictator Saddam Hussein’s palaces in Iraq.
“It’s sad to me — it’s sad that it’s so tackied up, and it’s a reflection of, you know, his narcissistic personality and his need to feel important, including sticking gold embellishments all over the walls of the Oval Office,” the former secretary of state told Swisher.
“This is a man whose mind apparently goes to, ‘Where can I add more gold?’ instead of, ‘How do I get out of Iran without looking like the loser that I am?’” she said.
Hillary Clinton says she is "making a long list" of what needs to be destroyed "by the time [Trump] leaves, assuming he leaves".
— Reggie B. (@reggiebblue) August 7, 2026
"Ballroom -- car bungle on the side of the WH which is unfortunate looking, the idea of tearing it down... We have to take down the arch, Reflecting… pic.twitter.com/zAuTVcpvAP
Hillary Clinton herself had overseen the renovation work to the White House Blue Room as the then first lady and now has turned into a fierce critic of Trump’s massive overhauls to the White House complex.
“The next president is going to have a big decision. What do you do with a half-finished ballroom?” Clinton said in the interview, referring to it as a “carbuncle on the side of the White House.”
Asked what she would do, Clinton replied: “I don’t know.”
White House fires back at Hillary Clinton
Replying to Hillary Clinton’s remark on the White House renovation, White House spokesman Davis Ingle released a statement, pointing to Clinton’s 2016 loss to Trump.
“Hillary Clinton never had the opportunity to decorate the Oval Office as president because she suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of President Trump, which she has never recovered from,” he said.
Hillary Clinton is still grappling with how Donald Trump got in her head in the second 2016 debate:
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) August 7, 2026
"I've thought about that 100,000 times."
She didn't know what to do:
"I'm thinking, okay, if I turn on him and say, what are you doing? Or, back off. Does that look like I can't… pic.twitter.com/V4qmOeUskl
Trump has been trying to renovate the White House in his style, leaving his own mark on the building.
One of the prominent styles that Trump has adopted is affixing gold detailing on the surfaces of the Oval Office and throughout the West Wing.
Speaking with Swisher in Friday’s interview, Clinton joked she’d be willing to take on the role of “Secretary of Taking Down the Gold” after Trump leaves office.
“Wouldn’t that be a good idea? Secretary of cleaning it up, fixing up,” she said.