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- Donald Trump criticized the White House’s condition before his presidency while giving an address on Monday, May 11<\/li>\n
- Trump highlighted his extensive renovations, saying, “We’re bringing the White House back to shape”<\/li>\n
- He also gave an update on the White House Ballroom<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Donald Trump<\/a> had some choice words to describe the state of the White House before he moved in for a second time.<\/p>\n
Speaking from the newly renovated White House Rose Garden<\/a>, which was converted from a grassy lawn to a <\/a>patio<\/a>, Trump reflected on the\u00a0changes\u00a0<\/a>made to the White House<\/a> since his second term began.<\/p>\n
A few minutes into his Monday, May 11, address during his second Rose Garden Club dinner in honor of Police Week, Trump said it was “exciting” to be speaking from there because “this place was not properly taken care of.”<\/p>\n
Before explaining the reasoning behind his comments, Trump said he was told by his wife, first lady Melania Trump<\/a>, that he had to “act presidential” and not use “foul language.”<\/p>\n
![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/jdMbAGStw_JdYkGw3MITXldXwkk=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/donald-trump08205112026-8d6d6b37d99f4ace923dcd539e610160.jpg\" "\\"Donald")
Donald Trump in the Rose Garden at The White House on Monday, May 11, 2026
Credit: Schwartz\/Sipa\/Bloomberg via Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n“I won’t. Therefore, normally, I would have said it was a s— house, but I don’t want to say that,” he said, prompting laughter from the crowd.<\/p>\n
Trump listed all the problems he believed were occurring at the White House, including that “the columns were falling down, the plaster was falling off.”<\/p>\n
The White House\u00a0“is tippy-top now, including all of the brand new beautiful stone, I paid for it myself, all of the stone, all of the different things we have,” said Trump.<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/YoBqajlayqp9Hgq8xM8FHxwz2l0=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/white-house-rose-garden-011326-1-521ca3cb07224fb698f5cbbd1088cc88.jpg\" "\\"New")
New signage appears over the White House Rose Garden on January 13, 2026
Credit: Andrew Leyden\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cWe’re bringing the White House back to shape,\u201d said Trump.<\/p>\n
The president brought attention to the statuary marble installed at the White House<\/a> before reiterating that he “spent a lot of time on bringing this house back, because this house was in very bad shape.”<\/p>\n
![\"Workers](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/L4X0_xiBqbMgXKjQXo1-vkCDMw4=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/east-wing-demo-2-102025-fab13cffaf33442f8d51ed2281be3197.jpg\" "\\"Workers")
Workers demolish the facade of the East Wing of the White House on October 20, 2025
Credit: Kevin Dietsch\/Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n“Those walls were in horrible shape,” he said, pointing in front of himself. “Look at them now, they’re perfect. The plaster was falling off; it was terrible. It’s the White House, it’s gotta look incredible. It’s gotta be pristine.”<\/p>\n
Trump also gave an update on the White House ballroom<\/a>, which will be located where the East Wing once stood<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Trump said the\u00a090,000-square-foot<\/a>,\u00a0$400 million<\/a>\u00a0project will be “the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world.”<\/p>\n
“You’ll never see anything like it. And it’ll also be very safe. It’s going to be a very safe ballroom,” he said, noting that the glass will be “like six inches thick.”<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/zYfYlb26xl1J0BOtLK8tmQFNvfE=\/fit-in\/640x480\/white-house-ballroom-construction-interior-rendering-073125-e79e0aa542764830b2bdc0330bf17a48.jpg\" "\\"Architectural")
A rendering of the White House Ballroom, which will replace the East Room as the president’s main hosting area.
Credit: McCrery Architects\/The White House<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNever miss a story \u2014 sign up for<\/strong> PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n
“You look through it, and you can see as perfectly as though it weren’t there,” he said.<\/p>\n