Historian dismisses Trump critics: ‘White House a work in progress since 1800’
The article discusses the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s $300 million ballroom construction project at the white House. Craig Shirley, a presidential historian and Reagan biographer, defends the project, arguing that unlike previous White House additions-such as Obama’s basketball court or Clinton’s putting green-that were mostly private amenities, this new ballroom will be accessible for all future presidents to host public events, benefiting the American people. shirley points out that the White House has undergone numerous renovations as 1800, including major reconstructions by presidents like Harry Truman, and dismisses critics as suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and “building envy.” The project became contentious when demolition began on the East Wing, a historic addition from Franklin Roosevelt’s era, prompting criticism over clarity and the lack of congressional approval. Supporters like Senator Ted Cruz have defended Trump by highlighting past substantial White House renovations by other presidents, arguing that Trump’s critics are being unfair. the article frames the ballroom project as part of the ongoing evolution of the White House, emphasizing its future public use and downplaying the criticism it has attracted.
Historian dismisses Trump critics: ‘White House a work in progress since 1800’
Fed up with liberal “building envy,” a New York Times bestselling presidential historian on Thursday dismissed critics of President Donald Trump’s $300 million ballroom project and said it will be something all Americans can enjoy.
Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley said that, unlike virtually all past White House renovations and construction projects done just for the benefit of presidents and their staff, the ballroom will enable all future presidents to host public events like never before.
“A lot of Americans will be able to enjoy that ballroom. A lot of Americans could not enjoy Obama’s basketball court, or Clinton’s running track and putting green, or Gerald Ford’s swimming pool. You know, a lot of Americans couldn’t enjoy those things, but a lot of Americans will be able to enjoy the ballroom,” Shirley told Washington Secrets.
The long-advertised project turned controversial this week when demolition crews arrived and knocked down the East Wing, itself a pet project of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1942.
Trump critics and many in Washington with memories of entering the White House through the East Wing decried the photos of the demolition and charged that the president hasn’t been transparent about the project.
The White House has pushed back, pointing critical media outlets to previously released plans and offering details about the private funding behind the project.
Many presidents have left their philosophical or architectural imprimatur on the White House, from the Monroe Doctrine to the Truman Balcony. The Constitution isn’t a living document, but the White House has been a work in progress since 1800. Trump is a builder. So was Jefferson pic.twitter.com/Fk937Av86Y
— Craig Shirley (@CraigSmpa) October 22, 2025
Shirley, who is putting the finishing touches on his newest book project, Upheaval: November 2024, Donald J. Trump’s Stunning Victory, ticked off a long list of big and small renovations to the White House in dismissing the president’s critics.
“The White House has been a work in progress since 1800. Trump is a builder,” he said, adding, “I’m running out of fingers and toes to tell you how many times the White House has gone through changes.”
Former President Harry Truman, for example, supervised a vast reconstruction of the White House and was forced to live across the street in the Blair House for years.
Are @BritHume and I the only native Washingtonians aware of the (recent) history of White House reconstruction? The raging tweets about Trump’s ballroom are genuinely astonishing. (And by the way, the sacred East Wing is a 20th-century addition.) https://t.co/N7yLvLPJef
— PhilipTerzian (@PhilipTerzian) October 22, 2025
He also brushed off complaints from congressional Democrats who said that Trump should have asked for Capitol Hill’s approval to make changes to the “People’s House.”
Shirley noted several major changes made to the Capitol that didn’t first get a president’s stamp of approval.
And he suggested that Trump invite all of the construction critics to his first event in the new ballroom.
Shirley said that the criticism of the ballroom project is another example of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Does it “break your heart” that, in 1948, Harry Truman undertook a “total reconstruction” of the White House’s interior, preserving only its exterior walls?
Or, in 1962, when your uncle JFK constructed the modern Rose Garden?
Or is it just Trump that your lament applies to? https://t.co/3UixiXCQLg
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 22, 2025
He said, “Sure, it’s TDS,” and added, “liberals and Democrats have always suffered from building envy.”
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Trump supporters such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) agreed. He went on X to chide Maria Shriver, whose uncle was former President John F. Kennedy. She said that the project “breaks my heart and it infuriates me.”
Cruz responded, “Does it ‘break your heart’ that, in 1948, Harry Truman undertook a ‘total reconstruction’ of the White House’s interior, preserving only its exterior walls? Or, in 1962, when your uncle JFK constructed the modern Rose Garden? Or is it just Trump that your lament applies to?”
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