During a recent interview, President Donald Trump was questioned about circulating reports suggesting that First Lady Melania Trump was displeased with the demolition of the White House’s East Wing, traditionally known as the First Lady’s office.

Laura Ingraham of Fox News Channel broached the topic with Trump in a segment aired on Monday night, referencing a Wall Street Journal piece that highlighted Melania’s apparent discontent with the contentious demolition.

Three weeks ago, the East Wing was razed to make room for what Trump describes as a ‘big, beautiful ballroom.’ This project, potentially costing up to $300 million, is being funded through private contributions.

Addressing the situation, Trump remarked, “She loved her quaint office, but she’s incredibly smart. Now, if you ask her, she thinks it’s fantastic,” indicating that any initial reservations Melania had were short-lived.

The President elaborated, noting that although the East Wing might be considered appealing, it had undergone numerous renovations, claiming it had been revamped ’20 times.’

He added, “They even added a floor on top that was dreadful, made from common brick with minuscule windows; it looked awful,” expressing his disdain for the previous modifications.

‘It has nothing to do with the original building, and I didn’t want to sacrifice a great ballroom for an OK ballroom by leaving it smack in the middle,’ he added.

While Democratic First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama spoke out about the East Wing being torn down – Obama more recently – Melania Trump hasn’t said anything publicly. 

President Donald Trump (left) seemed to confirm a report that said First Lady Melania Trump (right) wasn’t happy about the East Wing being torn down, though told Laura Ingraham she likes the ballroom project now 

The East Wing of the White House was torn down three weeks ago to make room for President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful ballroom,’ which he said could have been built around the existing structure but it wouldn’t be as nice 

Ingraham asked the president about Obama saying Trump had denigrated the office of the First Lady by tearing down the offices. 

‘When we talk about the East Wing, it is the heart of the work,’ she said. ‘nd to denigrate it, to tear it down, to pretend like it doesn’t matter – it’s a reflection of how you think of that role.’ 

Trump, again, argued that it was a ‘poor, sad sight.’

He also said Obama ‘wouldn’t mind’ a new ballroom, calling attention to the tents she had erected on the South Lawn whenever she and President Barack Obama wanted to host a larger state dinner. 

The East Wing offices are expected to be moved back to the larger ballroom complex, once construction is completed.

The East Wing’s demolition was met with controversy in part because the president bypassed any sort of historic preservation review. 

Trump had appointed Staff Secretary Will Scharf to lead the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the government agency charged with providing planning guidance to Washington, D.C.and the surrounding area.   

Scharf argued that NCPC doesn’t monitor demolitions, just construction.

The current version of the East Wing had been built in 1942 during the administration of FDR, with a second floor to be used for the offices of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. FDR is photographed laying the cornerstone of what had been the East Wing

The original East Wing was a one-story addition built during the tenure of Republican President Teddy Roosevelt. Here it’s pictured in 1906

President George W. Bush is captured in front of the enlarged East Wing in 2006

In addition, the NCPC was closed due to the government shutdown. 

That allowed the project to go forward without any oversight and without public meetings. 

The modern East Wing dated back to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who expanded the building in part to hide his World War II bunker and to give office space to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. 

The original construction of an East Wing building happened during the administration of his distant cousin, President Teddy Roosevelt.