Chelsea Clinton Has Some Thoughts on WH Demolition
President Bill Clinton, center, flanked by Govs. Ann Richards of Texas, left, and Mario Cuomo of New York, watches the Super Bowl with his daughter Chelsea and their cat Socks in the East Wing of the White House on Jan. 31, 1993. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Chelsea Clinton has spoken out against President Trump’s decision to demolish the White House’s East Wing to make room for a new ballroom, calling the move a troubling erasure of history.
In a USA Today op-ed, Clinton reflected on her years living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue during her father Bill Clinton’s presidency, writing that while the White House “was my home, absolutely, it wasn’t my house.” She described it instead as the “People’s House,” belonging to all Americans, and said the destruction of a major section of the building serves as “a reflection of how easily history can be erased when power forgets purpose.”
Clinton acknowledged that past presidents and first ladies have made changes to the White House, but noted that those renovations typically involved additions or cosmetic updates rather than tearing down entire wings. She pointed out that her mother, Hillary Clinton, was “the first first lady to bring contemporary art into the White House,” and said previous renovations followed established procedures, consulting historians and preservation experts to maintain the building’s integrity.
“I am clearly not alone in feeling unsettled by this,” Clinton wrote, adding that while President Trump has certain authority over the White House grounds, “authority is not the same as stewardship. Stewardship requires transparency, consultation, and an accounting for history.”
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