U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed a renovation of the Lincoln Bedroom’s bathroom, describing the makeover as a restoration of historical authenticity while critics accuse him of imposing his personal aesthetic on the White House.
Trump announced the completion of the project on Friday via social media, sharing before-and-after photographs of the bathroom, which now features black-and-white polished Statuary marble.
“I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House. It was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era,” Trump wrote. “I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble. This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!”
The White House did not immediately respond to questions regarding whether the project had undergone any formal design or approval process.
The renovation marks Trump’s latest change to the presidential residence since taking office, following a series of controversial modifications that have drawn criticism from preservationists and Democrats alike. These include the demolition of the East Wing to make way for a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-metre) ballroom, paving over the Rose Garden, and decorating the Oval Office with gold finishes reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
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While presidents have traditionally undertaken minor updates to their living quarters, Trump, a former New York real estate tycoon, has been notably assertive in remaking the White House to reflect his personal taste.
The planned ballroom project, in particular, has stirred public concern for bypassing established review procedures. The White House later said it would submit plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, chaired by Trump’s staff secretary.
Over the past months, Trump has also added gold statuettes, new portraits of himself throughout the property, and large American flags on new flagpoles positioned on both the north and south lawns.
According to a 2007 Washington Post report, the green-tiled bathroom Trump replaced dated back to renovations under President Harry Truman in the 1950s. The report also noted that President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush had refurbished the Lincoln Bedroom during their tenure but had deliberately left the “well-preserved” bathroom untouched.
