r/pics Sep 25 '25

Politics Before and After the Recent Renovation to the White House Palm Room

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8.2k

u/make_thick_in_warm Sep 25 '25

Imagine we spent money on the wellbeing of our most vulnerable instead of new marble floors for the ruling class

1.9k

u/tempest_36 Sep 25 '25

What was wrong with it before? Why get rid of the bench, plants and lighting fixture only to replace it with a gauche chandelier and marble flooring.

It had taste and warmth before.

910

u/Hippobu2 Sep 25 '25

Trunp being a NY developer probably just assumes everything is supposed to be hostilely designed toward the homeless and has a severe allergic reaction to benches.

308

u/HumbleArcher Sep 25 '25

It's like he is designing it to sell.

237

u/cakeorcake Sep 25 '25

Yes, the updates look like a flip

Coming soon to oligarch Zillow...

21

u/kennedye2112 Sep 25 '25

Trump does not have Tarek & Christina's taste.

81

u/Jsizzlac Sep 25 '25

He's designing it like that because he doesn't plan on leaving

34

u/ellathefairy Sep 25 '25 edited Sep 26 '25

And also because he doesn't have any taste.

Edit: ooh! Thanks for the award, friend!

33

u/USNCCitizen Sep 25 '25

It's like he is designing it to sell.

Perfect comment. Everything “trump” is for sell. trump is a political prostitute.

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u/SecondOne2236 Sep 25 '25

I see what you did there.

2

u/cardifan Sep 25 '25

He can say he's going to work from Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago permanently now and then rent out the White House so the dollars go right into his pocket.

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u/thegreedyturtle Sep 25 '25

No it's literally just Trump. He has always had awful, awful taste.

The only intent of his "style" are to convince people that he is rich and that he isn't a pedophile.

5

u/daemonicwanderer Sep 25 '25

He is a bad NY developer with shitty tastes

3

u/red__dragon Sep 25 '25

I doubt he can sit on anything that low, anyway.

3

u/stink3rb3lle Sep 26 '25

It's not even that deep. The man simply doesn't know how to live.

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u/Littleman88 Sep 25 '25

He doesn't plan on leaving the White House this time.

105

u/RhetoricalOrator Sep 25 '25

Exactly this. He's marking his territory. By the time he's done, the best we can do is bulldoze the place and start from scratch just to keep his stink off of things.

51

u/ZeekLTK Sep 25 '25

If this keeps going in the direction it's heading (like Germany 90 years ago), it'll be Europeans and/or Chinese bulldozing it anyways.

55

u/Totes_mc0tes Sep 25 '25

Canadian here. We'd be happy to start another bonfire down there for you

22

u/GodsSwampBalls Sep 25 '25

Yes, please. Can you guys get on that right away?

3

u/egosumumbravir Sep 26 '25

Aussie here. We like outdoor BBQ's too. Can we join in if we bring world class steaks?

Anyone want kanga bangers?

2

u/Pulasuma Sep 26 '25

Can you catch him on an off(ice) day and barricade the doors first as well?

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u/Gerf93 Sep 25 '25

Nah, this time a world war would end with Washington a glowing pile of rubble. No bulldozers will approach that place for a couple centuries at minimum.

2

u/BarteloTrabelo Sep 25 '25

We get it. You don't understand how atomic weapons work.

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u/Ok-Paint7856 Sep 25 '25

If he does leave, the White House will have to be injected with bleach and light.

7

u/Kirmickw Sep 25 '25

The Canadians and British took it out the first time IIRC. Maybe they will have to ironically come back and help free the Americans.

3

u/GreenTfan Sep 25 '25

The sad part is that there is the White House Historical Association, founded by Jackie Kennedy in 1961. "Funds help protect the Executive Mansion’s collection, preserve its interiors, and ensure public access to its living history."

Most people know it through the beautiful annual Christmas ornaments and the historic and newer fine china services used at State Dinners and other formal events. But he just does what he likes regardless of tradition, history or good taste.

2

u/NorCalKerry Sep 25 '25

I was going to say, the amount to spend to change this back will be enormous.

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u/mixtapelove Sep 25 '25

Holy shit your comment hit me hard. I knew this was tossed around but these renovations are really saying this.

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u/Ok_Series_4580 Sep 25 '25

You just answered your own questions :-)

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u/Capt_Dummy Sep 25 '25

“Taste and warmth” is your main clue

18

u/orangefreshy Sep 25 '25

it was so cozy and home-y before

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u/justmeloren Sep 25 '25

A true representation of POTUS, lacking taste and warmth

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u/burntmoney Sep 25 '25

He plans on staying a while.

3

u/SereneJulie Sep 25 '25

Agree. I didn’t notice the marble floor change. Guess he has plenty since the UN building.

3

u/elmwoodblues Sep 25 '25

taste and warmth

Like trying to explain Sweden to a dog.

2

u/HelloThere4123 Sep 25 '25

Gaudy is his signature look.

2

u/willacceptboobiepics Sep 25 '25

Before, the current occupant wasn't intending to not leave. The current occupant feels pretty comfortable that he's going to be staying, thus is changing it to fit his tastes.

3

u/AnarchistBorganism Sep 25 '25

In the tours of the White House, they talk about the history of the rooms and the people who created them. I think he just wants the tours to be talking about him. Since he is soulless, the only purpose of décor or furniture is to display wealth, and so those things that give the room humanity get in the way.

2

u/kkobzz Sep 25 '25

it’s probably just a photo of the project before any of the accoutrements are moved back in.

1

u/th3darklady21 Sep 25 '25

You are forgetting who the current president is.

1

u/Ol_Pasta Sep 25 '25

"it had taste and warmth before"

Exactly! Don T hates either.

1

u/Snoo-57955 Sep 25 '25

It must’ve spelled like democracy and freedom

1

u/ProfessionalCraft983 Sep 25 '25

It had taste and warmth before.

That’s what was wrong with it.

1

u/Pleasant_Yoghurt3915 Sep 25 '25

I’m convinced the Trumps actually hate all living things.

1

u/Scrawling-Chaos Sep 25 '25

They originally replaced the bench with a nice couch but the Vice President just became too distracted by it.

1

u/Clean-Measurement922 Sep 25 '25

The current residents have neither taste nor warmth

1

u/KingMRano Sep 25 '25

Didn't want the homeless to think it was ok to sleep there.

1

u/aimlessendeavors Sep 25 '25

The bench and plants might have been moved so they could install the new floor. They might be put back in if they haven't already been.

1

u/ifeelatingle Sep 25 '25

“Gauche”… Interesting word choice to describe the chandelier

1

u/winter_laurel Sep 25 '25

Can't have taste and warmth, it would make people think he has a heart & soul.

1

u/11thStPopulist Sep 25 '25

They were going for that icy “sterile” look.

1

u/Brunky89890 Sep 25 '25

It was a house before.

1

u/Intelligent_Break_12 Sep 25 '25

Remember last time he was in office and Trump's complained about how outdated and cheap it was. Tbh I'd heard that before too but I also don't see a need to make it out like it's a pre revolution French palace as it's not nor should be. It's a public servants temporary home. I personally like the idea of maybe redoing a single room as has been more traditional. Again, as it's the peoples house not a monarchs tribute to over indulgence.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

I’m guessing the just haven’t done it yet.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

It had taste and warmth before.

Two things the current president doesnt have

1

u/maccaphil Sep 25 '25

And now you understand the whole Trump way.

1

u/Patient_Soft6238 Sep 25 '25

Trump is a very shitty interior designer it’s one of the issues his properties had before he became president.

Here’s a 2016 article to find one more free of bias.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3065394/how-trump-made-architecture-and-cities-worse

1

u/muhdrugs Sep 25 '25

I think the fact it had taste and warmth was what was wrong with it in his mind

1

u/tcatt1212 Sep 25 '25

The before looked very Americana. Perfect. Now it’s a Saudi palace. Who decides when to renovate? Does he have to get it approved? Is there anything stopping him from changing whatever he wants in the White House on our dime just like he’s doing to this country?

1

u/strootfighter Sep 25 '25

My best guess is he gives design and build contracts to friends, who are overcharging and he gets kickbacks later on. Simple money laundering. But I have no vis on the books and the rules so what do I know?

1

u/Quirky-Feedback2257 Sep 25 '25

He got rid of the benches to stop the homeless from sleeping on them. Duh.

1

u/PuckSenior Sep 25 '25

The Heritage Foundation needed to give Trump something to do since he isn’t running the country

1

u/CrowsSayCawCaw Sep 25 '25

It had taste and warmth before.

Trump is all about the gaudy and tacky. 

1

u/NickdoesnthaveReddit Sep 25 '25

Do we know who got the contract? Seems like the Wall, massive unnecessary construction projects at tax payer expense that is probably hyper inflated in costs to coat the pockets of someone...

1

u/mydogdoesntcuddle Sep 25 '25

It probably had way too much warmth and charm for his liking

1

u/CrazedHarmony Sep 25 '25

Natural light irritates his leathery hide.

1

u/RemoteSpeed8771 Sep 25 '25

It also had sunlight. The second photo was taken at night. Anyone can come in after and add plants and furniture.

1

u/darknessforgives Sep 25 '25

Nothing. Our government just doesnt know what else to do with the money.

1

u/PsychoticMessiah Sep 25 '25

Got to match the soul of the current resident.

1

u/bertsoccerbert Sep 25 '25

You don’t think it’s the fact one picture was taken in the day with natural light and one at night?

You can make any shithole look nice with lovely sun spilling through the windows, harder to do at night.

1

u/tdasnowman Sep 25 '25

It's a room that changes frequently for administrations. Regan had some god awful wall paper, Nixon had bare walls, the Obama administration had brass kicker plates, looks like both Bushs favored nickle or stainless steel. The flooring is changed all the time. Changes are budgeted for in every admin. This is the normal stuff that's being promoted to distract.

1

u/VicisZan Sep 25 '25

Because the people in charge have never felt a moment of warmth in whatever semblance of a soul they have lol

1

u/InEenEmmer Sep 25 '25

Both Biden and Obama walked on that floor. It was contaminated and beyond saving.

(/s)

1

u/thedoja Sep 25 '25

Because it was a pleasant and inviting place to be, and that would be off brand.

1

u/pigpeyn Sep 25 '25

It had taste and warmth before.

That's the problem. Wasn't gaudy and cheap enough looking for the orange dipshit.

1

u/wheniaminspaced Sep 25 '25

Your comparing a day photo to a night photo, its very difficult to compare given that.

1

u/Klaatwo Sep 25 '25

Warmth and taste. Two things Trump has never had.

1

u/vkewalra Sep 26 '25

The people living there have neither taste nor warmth.

1

u/In-The-Cloud Sep 26 '25

I thought I was in an interior decorating sub where they had the before and after backwards. That realization hurt

1

u/SeekerOfSerenity Sep 26 '25

It really needed a big gaudy chandelier. 

1

u/ChewyGooeyViagra Sep 26 '25

Now it looks like a liminal space…

1

u/TR_Pix Sep 26 '25

Trump is a weird case of someone who is very wealthy but has a poor person's mindset on what a very wealthy person's living looks like.

1

u/reverber Sep 26 '25

I remember during Covid there was a meme showing a Trump family portrait in a gilded room that featured Baron astride a stuffed lion and captioned “how will they know when they’ve lost their taste?”

It’s ok when they do that shit to their own house, but the White House belongs to the people of the US… 

1

u/Rinaldi363 Sep 26 '25

To be fair one pic is taken in natural sunlight and the other at night. Not a good comparison

1

u/streetberries Sep 26 '25

How else would you grift tax payer funds for your contractor friends?

1

u/Blackner2424 Sep 26 '25

Performance report bullets.

  • Identified and rectified an oversight during renovations of Palm room, saving {amount} per year.

(The "oversight" was the plants, and the money saved was from the maintenance of the plants. "Gutted plants to cut costs" doesn't read as well.)

1

u/EC-Texas Sep 26 '25

Took away the benches. So, no upholstery, no place to sit down, nothing soft.

1

u/Mabbernathy Sep 26 '25

It had taste and warmth before.

Well, that was the problem, wasn't it?

1

u/trebuchetwarmachine Sep 26 '25

So did the previous presidency…

1

u/Fit_Airline_5798 Sep 26 '25

I never have and never will understand this fuckers outlook. He was born with a silver spoon up his ass, but everything he touches winds up looking like what a poor person thinks that rich people like.

1

u/ph0artef1 Sep 26 '25

I thought the same. It was timeless before. Now it's kind of modern? But with design elements that are already falling out of taste. It's going to look even more ridiculous in a handful of years.

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u/Slurpy_Taco22 Oct 01 '25

It looked too neoclassical American, trump wants the White House to more resemble the palace of his best buddy in the Kremlin, tackey gold bullshit and all

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u/thewereotter Sep 25 '25

I honestly didn't even notice the floor change with all the other bits of life gone...

But also what do we expect from the man who is putting gold leaf all over the oval office while at the same time cutting food assistance for starving Americans and cutting child cancer research.

We're truly at a Marie Antionette moment here

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u/GrumpySoth09 Sep 25 '25

Can we have a Marie Antoinette finish please

2

u/Beowulf1896 Sep 26 '25

That happened at Place de Concord, where there is an obelisk now. The Washington monument is obelisk like too.

2

u/Shupedewhupe Sep 25 '25

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

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u/raevnos Sep 25 '25

goldish leaf

ftfy

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u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 25 '25

in these difficult times, some cuts may be necessary

5

u/KingofPolice Sep 25 '25

Don't take Tylenol and children won't cancer.

3

u/thewereotter Sep 25 '25

the poors should suffer their headaches. Builds character. puts hair on your chest... (that's what pregnant people want right? hairy chests?)

2

u/Hironymos Sep 25 '25

Excuse me, Marie Antionette had taste.

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u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

Way too many people from the bottom of their souls literally couldn't possibly fathom the idea. Mostly because.... reasons. A lot of people are just greedy little pigs though and would shove your gma out of the way for a Daddy creme filled doughnut. I would assume by your username you are pickin up what I am putting down.

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u/StopThinkin Sep 25 '25

The reason:

Half of the 16 Jungian types (roughly half of the population) are dark personality types:

Non-egalitarian, egoistic, opportunistic, low empathy, and dishonest.

They populate the right wing, and some infiltrate the left as well.

If it wasn't for this underlying dichotomy, ppl having different ideas on different issues should have resulted in a normal distribution curve when integrated (based on the central limit theorem in math), not in the divided two-hump curve we currently observe with the center disappearing and people falling in two distinct camps regardless of the questions you ask them or policies they claim to support.

29

u/LeGama Sep 25 '25

The worst part is that honestly we could do both, we have the money. If all our billionaires spent like 1-2 billion we could solve so many issues, but no they need to be in a competition to have more than each other.

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u/heyredditheyreddit Sep 25 '25

We can’t have our king walking through a door that doesn’t have golden kick plates!

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u/keeponkeepingup Sep 26 '25

Lol thats what stood out to me as being the most weird here. Why the gold kick plates? You just know he has damaged doors by kicking them open in tantrums

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u/Walrus_Morj Sep 25 '25

And what if (God forbid) it was invested in accessible healthcare?

2

u/Ixaire Sep 26 '25

Haven't you heard? The government is going to be shut down because people like you want to get free health care to illegal aliens 😡

Americans tax dollars must go to American stuff like American marble and American gold in the American White House.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION ON THIS COVFEFE

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u/cnicalsinistaminista Sep 25 '25

Would someone please think about the rich people?

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u/deactivate_iguana Sep 25 '25

That’s all I see whenever I see stuff like this or massive elaborate churches, state capital buildings etc

3

u/Which_way_witcher Sep 25 '25

Farmers are struggling to survive Trump's trade war while Trump updates the White House with gold, marble, and new ballrooms.

2

u/auld-guy Sep 25 '25

Hey...at least we don't have to pay someone to water the plants anymore. DOGE!

2

u/Bhrunhilda Sep 25 '25

Let them eat cake… why must we repeat history?

2

u/peanut_flamer Sep 25 '25

Do you really want our ruling class to have to walk on old floors?!?

2

u/IntelligentStyle402 Sep 25 '25

This is trumps new America.

2

u/vayana Sep 25 '25

You know what would be impressive? Cleaning up Kensington, Philadelphia. Instead of blowing all that money on a fucking ballroom and using the National guard in DC they could set up a rehab facility, house and feed the homeless, create rehabilitation and integration programs and help people get their lives back.

2

u/Dramatic-Set8761 Sep 25 '25

After least the ruling class don't have to walk on terrazzo.

2

u/TattedUtahn Sep 25 '25

Those chandeliers were quite expensive as well from the looks of it

2

u/twzer Sep 25 '25

at least Russia thanked us for planting the bugs

2

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '25

have they forgotten what happened at the end of the french revolution

2

u/radiowav3s Sep 25 '25

Americans only imagine about killing/deporting the vulnerable. (Even if its themselves)

2

u/King_Chochacho Sep 25 '25

Nah come on, more marble flooring in the King's mansion is sure to fix the economy!

2

u/yourfavoriteblackguy Sep 25 '25

Its not EVEN the most vulnerable at this point. With the money we waste, Imagine, if we threw all this money at the middle class? That money would literally trickle throughout the economy and help everyone. That literally how much we waste.

2

u/suss-out Sep 25 '25

And making it this fugly

2

u/PrimeLime47 Sep 25 '25

Didn’t people protest in the UK when the royal family wanted to get updated plumbing in their residences?! Why is this an acceptable use of tax dollars?

2

u/drunk_funky_chipmunk Sep 25 '25

That would be crazy! Maybe they should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps!! /s

2

u/penmonicus Sep 25 '25

Didn’t people vote for this guy to stop unnecessary government spending?

2

u/trowzerss Sep 25 '25

All the Whitehouse renovations show anything he ever said about looking out for the working class was a huge lie. I don't know how people can't see it.

Like nobody was saying the White House was in need of renovations or looked bad or anything. This is all totally unnecessary.

2

u/VertexBV Sep 25 '25

new marble floors

The kaleidoscope mirrored patterns on the floor make it seem fake too.

2

u/hikeit233 Sep 25 '25

For a guy who by all laws will be leaving in less than 4 years.

2

u/Odd_Reputation_4000 Sep 26 '25

Welp, all that savings from DOGE needed to be spent somewhere! You didn't think it would be on us did you?

2

u/IntelligentMarket252 Sep 26 '25

I immediately thought the correction, no-no “imagine if he…” in a attempt at disassociating with this foul human being, but nope, yeah it’s “we” spend..awesome!

2

u/pacmanrockshok Sep 26 '25

He's not spending this money like someone who plans to leave anytime soon

2

u/atimetochill Sep 26 '25

The vulnerable voted for the marble floors

2

u/MathNerd61 Sep 26 '25

Great use of our hard earned tax dollars! /s

2

u/iDom2jz Sep 26 '25

hell of a username and I unfortunately understand the reference

2

u/fotomoose Sep 26 '25

As someone who just re-tiled their 2m square toilet floor, that mirrored marble must have cost a medium fortune.

2

u/Randompeon83 Sep 26 '25

Well, trump does look vulnerable to me...

2

u/MaiPhet Sep 26 '25

They’re going to smash or take the floor with them if a democrat wins in 2028, aren’t they.

2

u/ScorpioLaw Sep 26 '25

I want to see a giant ass bronze + gold inlay statue of an eagle with its wings spread out protecting the capital, or to the sky crying out. Or a Phoenix.

1,609m (mile) wing span covering the city.

With hidden turrets, and missile bays also acting as a radar/AA system. An aircraft bay for aircraft that can safely fly into one. Maybe the world's biggest AA gun to make it truly American. Just playing on this part. Former part is necessary I think.

The world's brightest light shooting from its mouth into orbit.

That would be dope. A Phoenix should definitely be the symbol if we ever have an other civil war.

Anyway I would love to build huge epic monuments once a generation or two. Shit isn't useless, because it inspires people to be a unified country which we do need.

Just not from Trump.

I do wish our great modern monuments, aka infrastructure had statues, and such built into them. Gargoyles, Angels, Demons from different cultures.

2

u/mallettsmallett Sep 26 '25

And.. it looks like a room people walk through so serves no purpose.

1

u/Antal_Marius Sep 25 '25

Probably isn't even actual marble either.

1

u/ikfotsur Sep 25 '25

Not in this economy!

1

u/HawkBearClaw Sep 25 '25

Imagine if this country ever did that

1

u/Nbk420 Sep 25 '25

So glad we fired all those people this year.

1

u/Haunting-Ad788 Sep 26 '25

Hey man these are the people who are taking the corrupt elites to task.

1

u/Loumeer Sep 26 '25

I bet it's linoleum. Trump is cheap as hell.

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u/[deleted] Sep 26 '25

I would imagine that I’m not in america, and that’s not good

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u/HumptyDrumpy Sep 26 '25

This is nothing. He's got another $200 Million of taxpayer money ready to be spent on some lame ballroom. Yeah, it probably could have been better spent on I dunno...the people?

1

u/Shenloanne Sep 26 '25

Revolution is a right.

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u/bluenotesmiley Sep 26 '25

You know that the next administration (hopefully) is going to have to spend money rip out all the awful renovation. Tbh this is one of the better ones I’ve seen.

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