Trump says Melania is warming up to his new ballroom despite reports she dislikes it

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid reports that First Lady Melania Trump disliked President Donald Trump's new ballroom project, Trump has clarified that although she was initially reluctant about the East Wing's demolition, she has since grown more accepting of the idea. 

Donald Trump dismisses Melania’s disapproval of the project

In his interview with Fox News's Laura Ingraham, aired on Monday, November 10, Trump revealed Melania’s change of mind about the renovation.

“She loved her little, tiny office,” the president told Ingraham when asked about The Wall Street Journal report claiming Melania had privately raised concerns about tearing down the East Wing.

According to the report published last month, officials said Melania had told associates that the demolition was “not her project.”

Although he did not deny the report, Trump suggested that his wife quickly warmed up to the large-scale construction effort, which began last month.

“She’s very smart,” he said of Melania during his appearance on The Ingraham Angle. “If you were to ask her now, she’d say, ‘It’s great.’” 

Balancing preservation and progress

The East Wing housed the First Lady’s offices and several White House social departments, including graphics and calligraphy.

“The East Wing,” Trump told Ingraham, “was renovated 20 times, including adding a floor on top, which was terrible.”

“It was made out of common brick, with little, tiny windows. It looked like hell,” he added.

Trump said he “didn’t want to sacrifice a great ballroom for an OK ballroom by leaving [the East Wing] right smack in the middle.”

Mixed reactions to the renovation

When Trump first announced the project, he had indicated that it would be built near the existing East Wing rather than replacing it entirely.

He claims the $300 million project is financed entirely through private donations and not taxpayer money.

The move has drawn criticism from several figures, including Hillary Clinton and former First Lady Michelle Obama, who both voiced concerns about altering the White House’s historic structure.

Trump responded to the backlash by arguing that the new ballroom would serve a practical purpose for large state events while protecting guests from weather disruptions.

“If you have some big state event, we have no place to have it,” Trump told Ingraham. “Obama wouldn’t mind this. Mrs. Obama wouldn’t mind.”

“They used to put a tent on the lawn,” he continued. “It was low ground — if it rained, you were sitting in six inches of water. It was a disaster.”