The President's Donald Trump’s choice to construct a large ballroom in place of the East Wing once stood has substantially changed how visitors perceive their time at the White House. Visitors now access the building via a different entrance, and the guided tour has been reduced in length due to a decrease in the number of historical chambers accessible.
TL;DR
- President Trump's ballroom construction altered White House tours, reducing length and access to historical chambers.
- Visitors enjoyed the Christmas decorations, especially Melania Trump's blue butterfly display honoring youth.
- The tour is now restricted to the State Floor, with Ground Floor rooms inaccessible due to construction.
- Some visitors found the shorter tour disappointing, while others saw the ballroom as a future enhancement.
However, several individuals participating in the self-directed exploration on Wednesday expressed contentment simply at catching a view of the White House all decked out in its Christmas glory created by the first lady, Melania Trump.
Excursions recommenced on Tuesday following a halt in September due to renovations in the ballroom, which encompassed the demolition of the East Wing during October.
“I’m glad they started it up again,” Kevin Heins, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said about the tours. He and his wife visited the White House, and he said a highlight of the tour was the Red Room, which has been decorated with more than 10,000 blue butterflies.
Representing change, the butterflies honor the youth the first lady endeavors to support via Fostering the Future, a component of the Be Best child-focused program she initiated during the initial Trump administration.
Susan Bare, residing in Kannapolis, North Carolina, also found the butterflies appealing, as they brought to mind her deceased son, who had planted a butterfly bush prior to a fatal car collision.
“My Christmas tree has butterflies on it,” Bare said.
Other attendees remarked on the swift completion of their tour, which was restricted to the State Floor only. This area encompasses the East Room; the Green, Blue, and Red Rooms; the State Dining Room; the Cross Hall; and the Grand Foyer.
Amiah Henry, a student at Sulphur High School in Sulphur, Louisiana, stated that “The tour was significantly longer last year,”. “It got cut down a lot.”
Spaces situated one floor beneath, on the Ground Floor, including the China and Vermeil Rooms, are presently inaccessible to visitors due to ongoing building work. Furthermore, certain personnel relocated by the closure of the East Wing are occupying some of these areas as provisional workspaces.
“It’s definitely a big change. There was a lot of, like, beauty in the East Wing, and that was my favorite part of the tour,” said Henry, who spoke as noise from the construction could be heard in the distance. “I’m sad I didn’t get to see it today, but, you know, what can I do?”
Heins, who has concluded a career in law enforcement and the military, stated that the ballroom's construction would ultimately enhance the White House's worth.
“The tour was a little bit shorter, but I think in the long run, with the extension of the ballroom, I think it’s going to be a good thing because you won’t have to wait outside in tents for events and all that,” Heins said. “I just think that, with our country, we should have something nice to host events at the White House.”
