President Donald Trump is being accused of reshaping the White House in the image of his Florida retreat, with a political commentator claiming the president is attempting to “turn the White House into Mar-a-Lago” while refighting political battles from years past.
Mikey Smith, writing for The Mirror, laid out what he described as Trump’s biggest missteps of the year, arguing that the president has spent much of his second term focused on old grievances rather than governing. Smith claims Trump has increasingly blurred the line between the presidency and his private lifestyle, spending large stretches of time at Mar-a-Lago instead of Washington.
“A year into his second term in office, polls make him the second most unpopular President of all time,” Smith wrote. “He’s spending most of his time fighting the old wars of 2020, punishing his enemies, and remodelling the White House to more closely resemble Mar-a-Lago. He schmoozes America’s enemies and alienates her allies.”
According to Smith, the concern goes beyond political strategy and into physical changes to the White House itself. He points to renovations not only in the East Wing but throughout the interior, saying the work reflects Trump’s personal taste rather than historical preservation.
“The new ballroom is just part of a gradual process throughout the year to turn the White House into Mar a Lago,” Smith wrote. “Every time the Oval Office was on TV, there was a fresh gold (painted) sconce or detail somewhere.”
He also claimed significant alterations were made to historic spaces. “The art deco bathroom in the ‘Lincoln bedroom’ was torn out to make way for the kind of polished marble monstrosity one only sees in a building that either has Trump in it or written on the outside,” he said.
Smith further alleged that Trump paved over the Rose Garden to create a patio similar to the one at his Florida resort, hosting Republican dinners and social gatherings. “Even the two enormous flagpoles he installed on the White House lawn were identical to one he has in Palm Beach,” he added.
Planned changes to the nearby Eisenhower Executive Office Building have sparked legal action from preservation groups. A lawsuit asks the US District Court for the District of Columbia to block any alterations until a formal review is completed. According to The Washington Post, Judge Dabney L. Friedrich is expected to rule on the request.
In court filings, a government official said: “GSA will not authorize or engage in the physical actions of power washing/cleaning, painting, or repointing the Eisenhower Executive Office Building before Dec. 31, 2025.” Meanwhile, renovation work on other White House areas, including the East Wing, has already begun.
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