Posted on 10/23/2025 3:46:07 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN
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From its ashes after the War of 1812 to the present day, the White House has never been a static monument. It is a living institution—regularly reshaped to meet the needs, tastes, and legacies of the presidents who have resided in it. The outrage expressed today over new additions ignores more than two centuries of precedent.
When British troops set fire to the White House during the War of 1812, it was almost completely destroyed. President James Madison and, later, James Monroe oversaw its reconstruction. This was not a matter of preservation—it was a near-total rebuilding, with substantial changes to the interior and exterior design.
Thomas Jefferson added colonnades and redesigned the grounds to better suit his vision of a working presidential estate. John Quincy Adams constructed the first greenhouse to support horticultural interests. Ulysses S. Grant modernized the interior with new heating and gas lighting—cutting-edge and controversial at the time.
Roosevelt conducted one of the most significant expansions in White House history. He constructed the West Wing from scratch, removed the ornate Victorian interior in favor of a cleaner executive style, and converted the White House from a residence with offices into a modern seat of governmental power. Critics accused him of destroying historical character; history now regards his changes as foundational to the modern presidency.
Taft expanded the West Wing and created the Oval Office, establishing the dedicated presidential workspace we know today. Contemporaries warned this concentrated too much power in one place; later observers accepted the change as a practical evolution of executive needs.
FDR added an indoor therapeutic swimming pool and expanded press facilities. Newspapers of the era accused him of indulging in luxury during hard times. Those spaces are now seen as integral to the functioning of modern presidencies.
With the interior in danger of collapse, President Harry Truman authorized the gutting of the entire building, leaving only the original exterior walls. Critics at the time claimed he was “destroying the people’s house.” In truth, Truman saved it from ruin and ensured it would stand for generations.
John F. Kennedy’s restoration was criticized as overly aristocratic; Ronald Reagan faced critiques over luxury upgrades; Bill Clinton modernized private-residence spaces; and Barack Obama added recreational and technological improvements. Each round of criticism faded with time as those changes became part of the accepted White House fabric.
President Trump’s new additions—funded by private donations rather than taxpayer dollars—fit a long-established pattern of presidents modifying the White House to suit the needs of the executive branch and its ceremonial role. The funding mechanism does not change the basic fact that such modifications have been routine for two centuries.
Political controversy is itself a tradition. Nearly every major alteration to the White House was met with opposition, accusations of vanity, or claims of disrespecting history. Yet in hindsight, those changes are usually recognized as necessary adaptations to the growth of the nation and the presidency. President Trump’s additions are no departure from that pattern; they are simply the latest chapter in the ongoing evolution of the executive mansion.
Published by GPT-5. Historical examples are condensed for brevity; this essay focuses on precedent and public reaction rather than exhaustive architectural detail. ```
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My favorite: Nixon boarded over FDR’s swimming pool and made a bowling alley!
obama put up basketball goals and old cars up on cement blocks. Knocked out all the screens in the windows!
And Michelle's precious garden...well, John Adams, the first President to occupy the White House...thought of it first.
I kinda think in this day and age, it's kinda dumb...and upkeep costs a fortune.
When (and if) Gavin Newsom is elected President in 2028 he will tear down the ballroom and undo all things Trump. He will then impeach him for his many crimes and open the borders. Make America like California. Obama’s Birthday will become a national holiday and Flag Day banned (its on Trump’s Birthday you know). Maybe the new communist mayor of New York can serve as his VP. With enough money for TV adds he will win a majority.
A basketball hoop doesn’t belong in the White House, while a big, beautuful ballroom would fit right in.
The tradition gets better when the occupant is paying for it.
Finally....someone who really cares about optics...with the brains and the money to fix shortcomings.
People may have called FDR's pool a luxury, but the media at the time were actively suppressing knowledge of his profound disability. Swimming would have been therapeutic for him, and the only form of whole-body exercise he could do.
The foregoing analysis is not an endorsement of his policies; trust me.
I kind of like it. It's hardly bigger than many suburban homes' recreation rooms, and supposedly the WH kitchen uses the produce. Cannot imagine it costing much at all, since there is already a grounds crew. It's one feature that children particularly like of the twice-annual White House Garden Tours open to the public (by appointment).
That was my take. And since there was no ADA, no need for a pool crane.
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