President Donald Trump’s decision to build a big ballroom where the East Wing once stood has significantly altered the visitor experience at the White House. Tourists enter through a different door now, and the tour is shorter because there are fewer historic rooms to see.
But some people who took the self-guided tour on Wednesday were just happy to glimpse the White House all decked out in its Christmas glory by first lady Melania Trump.
Tours resumed Tuesday after being suspended in September because of the ballroom construction, including October’s leveling of the East Wing.
“I’m glad they started it up again,” Kevin Heins, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said about the tours. He and his wife visited the White House, and he said a highlight of the tour was the Red Room, which has been decorated with more than 10,000 blue butterflies.
A symbol of transformation, the butterflies celebrate young people the first lady tries to help through Fostering the Future, which is part of the Be Best child-centered initiative she launched during the first Trump administration.
