Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced swift backlash from conservatives after attacking President Donald Trump for his newly announced White House ballroom project — a privately funded modernization effort that comes at no cost to taxpayers, as reported by Fox News.
Clinton posted to X on Tuesday, accusing Trump of “destroying” the White House following reports that construction crews had begun demolishing the East Wing façade to begin work on a 90,000-square-foot ballroom capable of seating 650 guests.
“It’s not his house,” Clinton wrote. “It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
The post immediately drew attention from conservatives who pointed to the Clintons’ own history with the White House.
One of the favorites was the 2001 furniture controversy that erupted when the couple left office.
“At least he didn’t steal the silverware,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wrote on X in response to Clinton’s post.
In 2001, the Clintons were criticized for taking an estimated $28,000 in furnishings provided by donors and paying $86,000 for other gifts.
“Gifts did not leave the White House without the approval of the White House usher’s and curator’s offices,” the Clintons said in a statement at the time. “Of course, if the White House now determines that a cataloging error occurred … any item in question will be returned.”
“All of these items were considered gifts to us,” Hillary Clinton said at the time. “That’s what the permanent record of the White House showed. But if there is a different intent, we will certainly honor the intention of the donor.”
President Trump formally announced Monday that construction had begun on the new ballroom, describing it as part of a broader effort to modernize the East Wing.
“I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“Completely separate from the White House itself, the East Wing is being fully modernized as part of this process, and will be more beautiful than ever when it is complete!”
The ballroom, according to the White House, is being financed entirely through private donations, with no taxpayer funds involved.
Conservative commentators and Trump supporters used Clinton’s post as an opportunity to revisit past scandals involving the former first family.
“Hi Hillary, remind us — wasn’t it you who walked off with $28,000 in White House furniture when you moved out?” conservative commentator Benny Johnson wrote. “And your husband who defiled the Oval Office during his presidency? President Trump’s funding a beautiful new ballroom out of his own pocket.”
Eric Trump also weighed in, responding directly to Clinton’s post: “The ballroom will be spectacular… unlike your work in Haiti.”
Other critics referenced Bill Clinton’s alleged practice of offering overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom to donors during his presidency.
“Yes, between selling nights in the Lincoln Bedroom to donors and her husband’s tutelage of the interns in the Oval Office, if anyone treated the WH as sacred it was the Clintons,” conservative writer Mark Hemingway said.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital that the ballroom construction represents long-overdue updates to the White House.
“President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense,” Ingle said. “These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House.”
