Trump Claims White House Was a ‘Dump’ Before His Renovations: ‘Such an Honor to Have the Privilege of Saving’ It

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

President Donald Trump declared that the White House was a “dump” before he began renovating it, accusing his presidential predecessors of neglecting the historic building and claiming his work has left it “in better shape than when built in 1792.”

The president offered the take on Sunday night while posting before-and-after photographs of restoration work at the executive mansion, which has undergone a sweeping and ambitious overhaul during his second term.

“The White House was in very bad condition, both inside and out. Frankly, it was a “dump!” Past Presidents did not take care of it. I love renovating it during my spare time, which is not much,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president praised the Department of the Interior and contractors working on the building, saying they were doing a “fantastic job.”

(Screengrab via Truth Social)

“The exterior “skin” of the Building was practically falling off! It is now in better shape than when built in 1792. Such an Honor to have the privilege of saving this Great Structure! More time without renovation would have destroyed our beloved White House!” he added.

Trump’s larger transformation of the White House complex has become a central project of his second term. The East Wing was demolished to make way for a new ballroom, which he has insisted is being paid for by contributions from himself and private donors rather than taxpayers, calling it a “gift to the United States of America.”

The president also paved over the Rose Garden in the past year, which was established in 1913 by Ellen Wilson, wife of former President Woodrow Wilson.

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