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Former first lady Michelle Obama took a shot at President Donald Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing during an NBC interview on Tuesday.
Reflecting on her time in the White House with another former resident, NBC’s Jenna Bush Hager, Obama joked about the changes to the historic building.
“There’s no guidebook,” Obama said of the challenges of being first lady during an appearance on NBC’s “TODAY with Jenna & Friends” to promote her new book, “The Look.”
Michelle Obama appears on “TODAY with Jenna & Friends” on Tuesday, where she reflected on her time as first lady and shared her perspective on President Donald Trump’s White House renovations. (NBC’s “TODAY with Jenna & Friends”/Youtube)
“There’s barely a staff. Now we don’t have a building,” she said, referencing the uproar over the East Wing construction.
Trump tore down the East Wing to make room for a $250 million ballroom project, a move Democrats have slammed as erasing a key part of the building’s history.
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Obama lived in the White House for eight years with her family. The East Wing formerly housed the first lady’s office and staff.
An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on October 23 in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
“I know, R.I.P. the East Wing,” said Bush Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush.
Ex-White House residents Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton were also vocal critics of the move last month.
Obama, who was the first Black woman to become first lady, also said she felt her family was criticized more than other first families.
“The light was a little bit brighter because politics created an otherness. There were some people who tried to paint everything we did as a sign that we weren’t ready, that we weren’t suited, that we weren’t American enough,” Obama said.
Michelle Obama speaks onstage during a live recording of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” podcast at the Austin Convention Center during the 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival on March 13. (Julia Beverly/WireImage)
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“And I don’t think that other families dealt with that kind of criticism. But as you know, the first lady, it’s a strange job,” she said.
Photos of the construction sparked outrage online. The Trump administration has defended the demolition.
A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the new ballroom. (The White House)
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“Unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom,” the White House said in a statement, calling the project a “bold, necessary addition.”
Officials also noted that previous presidents made major changes during their terms. Their list included President Theodore Roosevelt’s addition of the West Wing, President Barack Obama’s basketball court, and President Bill Clinton’s restoration of the Executive Mansion.