Monday on FNC’s “The Ingraham Angle,” President Donald Trump reacted to comments from former first lady Michelle Obama about his renovations to the White House’s East Wing.
“When we talk about the East Wing, it is the heart of the work. And to denigrate it, to tear it down, to pretend like it doesn’t matter—it’s a reflection of how you think of that role,” Obama said during her interview with Vanity Fair.
Host Laura Ingraham asked Trump about the former first lady’s remarks.
“Michelle Obama had something to say about the ballroom and the new ballroom,” she said. “During an event to promote her new book, she said, when we talk about the East Wing, it’s the heart of the work. And to denigrate it, to tear it down, to pretend like it doesn’t matter, it’s a reflection of how you think of that role. Why is she wrong?”
Trump replied, “Well, first of all, the East Wing was a beautiful little tiny structure that was built many years ago that was renovated and expanded and de-expanded, and columns ripped out. It had nothing to do with the original building. It was a poor, sad site. And I could have built the ballroom around it, but it would not have been. We’re building one of the greatest ballrooms in the world. By the way, zero money spent by the government. Zero. The East Wing is being spent by private donors. And it’s a 250, $300 million building. It’s going to be the most beautiful anywhere in the world. It will be a large, beautiful — you know, they had an event the other day. They could held — with tables, they could hold 79 people. Now, if you have President Xi from China, or if you have some big state event, we have no place to have it.”
“Obama wouldn’t mind this,” he added. “Mrs. Obama, obviously, wouldn’t mind. They would put a tent on the lawn. It was a low section because that’s the only section you have. So, it was a low section. If it rained, you were sitting in six inches of water. It was a disaster. We’re going to have the best ballroom anywhere in the world. And I built a lot of them, you know that. You know a lot of them. This will be one of the greatest ballrooms in [the world].”
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