President Donald Trump announced more renovations at the White House, showing photos of an updated Lincoln Bathroom.
Trump announced the change in an Oct. 31 post to Truth Social, showing a number of photos of the newly refreshed marble bathroom.
Previously, the bathroom sported deco-style green tiles and a relatively minimalist sink and toilet. The update features polished marble, with a heavily framed mirror and updated lighting.
“I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House,” Trump wrote. “It was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.”
“I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble. This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!”
This refurbishment comes just weeks after demolition on the East Wing of the White House began, to make way for Trump’s new 90,000 square-foot ballroom, which will cost private donors and the president around $300 million.
“We’re good at building, I’m good at building things, and we’ll get it built quickly and on time,” Trump said on July 31 when he first announced his ballroom project. “It’ll be beautiful, top of the line.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has voiced concern about the new building, saying it could “overwhelm the White House itself—it is 55,000 square feet—and may also permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House with its two smaller, and lower, East and West Wings.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) dismissed those concerns, noting that “the White House has been renovated many times over the years.”
The entire West Wing itself wasn’t added until the 20th century. President Theodore Roosevelt contracted the expansion, removing many Victorian influences, and later in 1948, the structure became unstable and was entirely gutted and reconstructed, though the exterior remained largely the same.
Later, President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jackie Kennedy completely redecorated the People’s House.
President Richard Nixon added a bowling alley and the current White House press room in the 1970s, and President George W. Bush added solar panels to the building’s roof. President Barack Obama converted the White House tennis court into a dual-use basketball and tennis court.
Some historians note that the ballroom, which will provide a much-needed indoor space for hosting foreign dignitaries, will join a long line of renovations that eventually became cherished parts of the building’s facade.
“The South Portico, the North Portico, the East Wing, the West Wing, and the Truman Balcony all raised concerns at the time—but today, we can’t imagine the White House without these iconic elements,” the White House Historical Association stated.
Less than an hour after his posts about the updated bathroom, Trump also announced that he had just inspected the construction on The Kennedy Center.
“It is really looking good!” Trump said of the update. “The exterior columns, which were in serious danger of corrosion if something weren’t done, are completed, and look magnificent in White Enamel — Like a different place!
The president also noted that “Marble is being done, stages are being renovated, new seats, new chairs, and new fabrics will soon be installed, and magnificent high end carpeting throughout the building.
“It is happening faster than anticipated … We are bringing this building back to life. It was dead as a doornail, but it will soon be beautiful again!”
Joseph Lord contributed to this report.
