Trump reveals Abraham Lincoln bust he saved from East Wing demolition

WASHINGTON, DC: A piece of the historic East Wing still stands inside the White House.

Donald Trump showed off a bust of former President Abraham Lincoln that he said he saved from the 123-year-old East Wing before its demolition. Trump ordered the wing torn down as he moved forward with plans to build his long-planned ballroom, a massive 90,000-square-foot project expected to surpass the size of the White House itself.

Trump showcases salvaged Lincoln bust in granddaughter Kai’s White House vlog

The president showed a large bust of Abraham Lincoln displayed along the West Wing colonnade as he walked his 18-year-old granddaughter, Kai, into the Oval Office for holiday events.

In a YouTube vlog titled 'Christmas at the White House,' released Saturday, December 20, Trump told her he saved the bust from the East Wing. “I got this from the East Wing,” he said, pointing it out and noting that it came from the historic wing and looked good in its new location. “This came out of the East Wing, the famous East Wing. This looks good, doesn’t it here? The same man that did the Mount Rushmore.”

Kai commented on the gold details, praising, “The gold looks nice.” She also noted Trump’s decorative touches around the White House, including a cursive sign reading “The Oval Office.” Trump smiled and replied, “Very nice.”

The ballroom’s projected price has climbed to an estimated $400 million, even as Trump has repeatedly promised the public that donations would cover the expense.

According to a White House official speaking to The Daily Beast, staff carefully preserved East Wing items such as artwork, lighting fixtures, and topiaries, placing them in storage or redistributing them across the presidential complex.

The official also said crews will send any materials not selected for preservation to a nearby recycling facility.

Jesse Watters says Trump views White House ballroom as his ‘monument’

Fox News host Jesse Watters recently shared how Donald Trump personally views the planned White House ballroom. Speaking at the Turning Point USA AmericaFest, Watters described a conversation he had with the president.

Watters said, “So he brings us over to the executive room and he sits down and we’re having, like, Mexican food. And he goes, ‘Jesse, do you want to see the rendition of the big beautiful ballroom?’ I said, ‘Sure, let me see it,’”

Watters continued, “He rolls the whole thing out, and guys, I don’t know if you know this, the ballroom is huge. I said, ‘Mr President, the ballroom is four times the size of the White House.’ He said, ‘Jesse, it’s a monument. I’m building a monument to myself because no one else will.’”

When asked about Watters’ comments, the White House responded to The Daily Beast with a statement defending the project. Officials said Trump is working around the clock to “Make America Great Again,” including what they described as a historic effort to beautify the White House without using taxpayer money.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle added, “These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House.”