The People's House

For anyone who might have somehow missed it, mainstream news outlets and social media have literally been teeming with talk this past week about the renovations being made to the White House. And of course, the barrage of chatter has been completely divided and at odds, with approval voiced from many conservative Americans and unhinged outrage coming from some of those on the Left.

Like most of the common people in this nation, my daily life does not hinge on the rise and fall of political commentary. In fact, most days revolve around my family and my work. But this topic did not die down or fade away as the week progressed, and the debate over current renovations to the People’s House seemed to gain momentum and grow louder from both sides of the political fence.

As an interesting sidenote to this ongoing argument, the White House was not always talked about in terms of belonging to the people of the United States. Dr. Matthew Costello, renowned historian and Vice President of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History, claims that the executive mansion was first given the label of the “People’s House” in February 1827, during the presidency of John Quincy Adams.

Most ironically, considering the current situation, Congress was debating back then on whether to appropriate $25,000 to finish work in the East Room of the White House when this familiar title was first used by both sides of the argument for and against taxpayer funding of the construction.

The White House Historical Association (WHHA) shared Costello’s research of the timeline, showing that the label surfaced when Kentucky’s U.S. Representative, Robert P. Letcher, a Democratic-Republican, (also ironic … and almost impossible to imagine right now) spoke in favor of the proposed construction project: “If you think fit to furnish the house, as it has been said, it is not his [Adams’] house: it is the People’s house.”

But other congressmen of that time voiced their opposition to both Adams and the proposed funding by using the same label for the White House, “We are awfully afraid that the people’s house; the temple of liberty, is soon to become a ‘den of dissipation.’”

The debate over the judiciousness of taxpayer funding for changes to the People’s House continued long after the East Room was completed in 1829, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson.

So, if the congressional dispute of 1827 sounds all too familiar now, almost 200 years later, just keep in mind that political feuds over funding for the upkeep and renovations for our nation’s executive mansion have been part and parcel of our history.

A basic search in the archives of the WHHA lists various building projects of all sizes throughout the years, including but not limited to the presidencies of: Jefferson, Monroe, Jackson, Buchanan, Grant, Hayes, Arthur, both Roosevelts, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton, Obama, and Trump (both terms, in fact).

Not all, but many (even most, if the truth is told) of these past renovations to the People’s House were indeed funded by the people’s tax dollars. Looking back, much of that funding was debated and argued over by the people and their representatives. And yes, the reasonings behind those disputes (too expensive, unnecessary, too opulent, and so forth) have sounded quite similar over the years.

Suffice it to say, feuding over fixing up the White House is not new news. So, why is President Trump’s current round of renovations to the People’s House so outrageously offensive to those on the Left?

Well, past arguments, much like the current ones over Truman’s overhaul of the mansion, often centered on an exorbitant tax budget.

For example, from 1948 to 1952, the executive mansion was totally overhauled during a large portion of Truman’s presidency. With the exorbitant price tag of $5.7 million (equivalent to over $60 million today), the project literally “shocked the public and drew intense scrutiny,” per records from WHHA. This scrutiny resounded repeatedly from that post-World War 2 generation of people to their congressional representatives, even concerning the details of whether to reuse historic wood in the renovation project.

Yet, Trump’s $250 million project is not using one dollar in taxes, with the entire funding coming from donors. So, money cannot be the real root of this matter.

Then, maybe the real problem centers on the matter of necessity; so, let’s look at past unnecessary renovation projects at the People’s House.

At least two greenhouses, a bowling alley, two pools (inside and out), tennis courts, a jogging track, and a family theater were other additions to the mansion over the years. These renovations could also be termed “nonessential” to the job of the president, since few other people outside of family or friends benefit from these additions.

At least this new ballroom will be used to entertain foreign dignitaries and host state dinners of all sizes.

As for opulence, the debate has raged over the years as to what constitutes good taste in décor for the White House. The Architectural Digest online recalled how President Chester Arthur drew the ire of many when he “set out to add a staunchly Victorian flair to the White House,” after he took office in 1881, even putting many of the mansion’s existing furnishings up for auction.

Let’s also not forget The New York Times review of the White House redesign of the Oval Office under President Obama. With its tricky word play on Obama buzz words, the “Audacity of Taupe” by Penelope Green chronicled a mishmash of understated renovations that were negatively termed “very cautious, neutral, inoffensive, neither one thing nor the other.”

One thing is certain, though; no such statement will ever be written about Trump’s current White House renovations. Whether a person likes these planned changes or not, this $250 million tax-free (and yes, opulent) project is aimed at displaying the absolute best and most beautiful aspects of hospitality to all formal guests of the People’s House.

As the official White House website explains:

For more than a century, U.S. Presidents have been renovating, expanding, and modernizing the White House to meet the needs of the present day. …Now, in 2025, President Trump is carrying forward that legacy, breaking ground on a grand ballroom – a transformative addition that will significantly increase the White House’s capacity to host major functions honoring world leaders, foreign nations, and other dignitaries.

And best of all, when completed, this renovation project will most assuredly fulfill the original objective of First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy when she founded the private, nonprofit, educational organization known as the White House Historical Association, with the sole objective of collecting and exhibiting the best artifacts of American history and culture.

Oh, well. So much for partisan feuding over Trump’s big, beautiful ballroom.

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