rdot.carti

A lot of FAKE OUTRAGE over construction of the big, beautiful (and privately funded) White House Ballroom. FACT: Presidents have been renovating and expanding the White House for more than 100 years. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt built the West Wing . In 1909, President William Howard Taft added the first Oval Office during a West Wing expansion. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt added a second floor to the West Wing; in 1934, he relocated the Oval Office to its current spot, completed the East Wing, and built an indoor swimming pool. In 1948, President Harry Truman began completely gutting and rebuilding the White House interior, preserving only the exterior walls. In 1970, President Nixon converted FDR's pool into the press briefing room; in 1973, he added a bowling alley in the basement. In 2009, President Obama upgraded the tennis court into a full basketball court. Now, in 2025, President Trump has broken ground on a grand ballroom — modernizing the wing while privately funding the project.