Former First Lady Michelle Obama once again blasted the Trump administration for demolishing the East Wing of the White House, saying that it "denigrates" the traditional workspace of the first lady and by extension, her role.
“When we talk about the East Wing, it is the heart of the work” of a first lady, Obama stated. “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 claimed that her work as first lady and the “balanced image of the first family” it created got her husband "five extra approval points," according to the New York Times.
While former President Barack Obama's approval rating fluctuated, as most presidents' do, he left office fairly popular.
It wasn't Michelle Obama's first criticism of President Donald Trump's plan to build a massive ballroom where FLOTUS had worked.
She told Stephen Colbert during a recent taping that the East Wing was a lighthearted place that had children and puppies.
She was "confused" about the values of the country under Trump, and added, “I just feel like, what is important to us as a nation anymore? Because I’m lost.”
She's not the only one who has used the image of a wrecking ball at the White House as a metaphor for Trump's presidency.
Former President Joe Biden said during an appearance in Omaha last week that Trump would “take a wrecking ball to the country,” and he called the ballroom “a perfect symbol of his presidency.”
Similar comments were made by former Secretary of State and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton; Clinton even used the construction to raise money (for what, we don't know).
On behalf of Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that many presidents have undertaken renovation projects at the White House.
She asserted that a large indoor event space was needed in light of the fact that state dinners are currently held in rented tents on the South Lawn.
In defending his decision to demolish the East Wing, Trump said it had been renovated 20 other times, including adding a floor on the top, which he said looked awful.
For now, the first lady's offices have been relocated to other areas of the White House, and it was not immediately clear whether permanent replacement office space would be provided.
