Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Washington, Property
It was inevitable that Donald Trump wasn't going to make some changes to the White House when he returned to office last year, but I don't think anyone was quite expecting the extent of the refurbishments...
Adding his famous Diet Coke button back into the Oval Office and removing any trace of his predecessor Joe Biden was one thing, but the changes that Trump has made the to White House are undeniably much more significant.
One of the most recent projects has involved erecting a giant UFC cage on the South Lawn, which will be used in one of the events being hosted to mark 250 years of America's independence.
The cage is thought to have cost UFC an eye-watering $60,000,000 and has gone down like a lead balloon with many people.
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One critic said about it: "Trump has literally turned the White House into a circus!"
"This is grotesque," added another.
Fortunately the stage is only temporary and will be dismantled after the 'UFC Freedom 250' event on June 14. Other changes Trump's has already made (or is in the process of making) are much more permanent, however.
One project that's currently underway is the president's beloved $400,000,000 ballroom that's being built on the site of the former East Wing of the White House, which is being funded by Trump and other donors. Initial forecasts said it would cost $200,000,000, but this figure has since doubled.
His plans suffered a huge blow recently. Trump's administration requested $1 billion in federal funding for supposed security improvements dedicated to the overhaul of the East Wing of the White House as part of a larger immigration enforcement bill.
This money would have come from taxpayers pockets and his request was ultimately blocked by the Senate parliamentarian.
It was argued that Americans shouldn't have to foot the bill for Trump's 'Louis XIV-style ballroom'.
Commonly known as 'The Presidential Walk of Fame', this is the hallway that boasts the portraits of all the presidents that have once sat in the Oval Office.
One of those people is, of course, Joe Biden; but his portrait is no more. Where his picture once hung, there's now a bizarre photograph of an autopen signing the former POTUS' name in a nod to the allegations that Biden used one to sign documents because of his reported cognitive decline.
Other portraits now have plaques below them detailing Trump's opinion of each former president (that nobody asked for).
In most gardens you would expect there to be grass, but Trump had the Rose Garden's lawn paved over last August.
Reportedly he did this so people could walk more easily in the space without ruining their shoes, says The New York Times.
Fortunately the president kept the rose bushes. He did have speakers added among them though.
The White House's Cabinet Room is where the president meets with his advisors.
Previously the room was quite minimalist. For example, photos showing Barack Obama hosting a meeting in there show the room with plain, off-white walls, brown-ish curtains, a single painting, a couple of flags, and simple light hangings.
But aid light hangings are no more and Trump has replaced them with three large, garish chandeliers.
Behind where Trump sits, he's added several more flags – a familiar theme for the POTUS.
