Trump remodels Lincoln bathroom in latest White House renovation
US President Donald Trump has unveiled renovations to the Lincoln Bedroom bathroom, as renovations to the White House continue.
Trump shared photos of the new bathroom on social media, saying it was “renovated in the 1940s in an art deco style with green tiles, which was completely inappropriate for the Lincoln era.”
He said the new black and white marble is “very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, may be the marble that was originally there!”
It’s the latest change Trump has made to the White House this year. In October, its east wing was demolished to make way for its new multimillion-dollar ballroom.
The bathroom is part of Abraham Lincoln’s office and study, which former President Harry Truman furnished as part of his massive renovation of the White House in the late 1940s.
The wallpaper in Lincoln’s study and bedroom was once colored green and gold, according to the White House Historical Association.
After Trump’s remodel, it now features gold light fixtures and accents for the sink, tub faucet and shower door, as well as a chandelier.
The White House said the renovation was privately financed at no cost to the taxpayer.
The US president’s attempts to put his own stamp on the White House have drawn criticism from conservation groups and his political opponents.
Trump previously said adding the ballroom to the East Wing would not interfere with the current building. But in October he said the “existing structure” needed to be demolished.
Trump said the construction of the ballroom was funded entirely by him and “some of my friends – donors.”
Environmental advocates have argued that Trump should have sought public input before making changes that they say would upend the classic style of the White House.
The White House hit back at his critics, saying “unhinged leftists” were “clinging to President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a privately financed grand ballroom to the White House — a bold and necessary addition.”
Other changes at the White House include its decision in August to pave the grass of the Rose Garden with stone, effectively transforming a lawn into a patio.
Trump also added touches of gilded gold throughout the Oval Office, including additional gold-framed portraits, gold-framed mirrors and gold foil for the presidential seal on the office ceiling.
In response to his latest bathroom renovation, Democrats accused Trump of being more focused on overhauling the White House than fixing the government shutdown.
At the heart of the shutdown, now entering its second month, is the dispute over whether to expand health insurance subsidies.
“Donald Trump actually cares more about his toilet than fixing your health care,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a social media post.
Speaking at an event on Saturday, former US President Barack Obama said Trump had “focused on critical issues, like paving the Rose Garden so people don’t get mud on their shoes and gold plating the Oval Office and building a $300 million ballroom” rather than resolving the shutdown.
“If you can’t see a doctor, don’t worry. He’ll save you a dance,” he added.
