EXCLUSIVE – Melania’s war over her White House decorations: Trump says ‘tireless efforts’ to ‘beautify’ residence have been ruined by rearranged furniture and leaving out details in new guidebook that showcases her work
- Melania Trump slammed the White House Historical Association for its new guidebook on the executive mansion
- The book features photos of rooms Melania Trump redecorated as first lady
- Her office told DailyMail.com that ‘only a small amount’ of the creative execution ‘adorns the pages of this book’
- ‘In fact, her deliberate styling of the furniture and accessories was significantly rearranged throughout the book’s images,’ her office said
- Melania Trump has been fighting back against critics of her legacy as first lady
- One of her priorities as first lady was restoring and preserving the White House
Melania Trump slammed the White House Historical Association for its new guidebook on the executive mansion, saying it shows only a small amount of her restoration work and that ‘her deliberate styling of the furniture and accessories was significantly rearranged.’
The new 60th anniversary edition of ‘The White House: An Historic Guide’, which was released July 28, offers readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, including photos of the private rooms on the second floor where presidents and first ladies live.
Although the photos were taken last fall during Joe Biden’s administration many of them feature the decorative work of Melania Trump, who made preserving the 230-year-old White House one of her primary responsibilities when she served as first lady.
The Yellow Oval Room, the Queens’ Bedroom and the Center Hall in the upstairs residence were among those rooms Trump refurnished that are featured in the guidebook.
Melania Trump claims, however, the photos don’t accurately reflect her work and that of the designer she collaborated with, Tham Kannalikham.
‘Unfortunately, the 26th Edition of The White House: An Historic Guide fails to accurately represent the breadth and detail of Mrs. Trump’s design work in and around the White House,’ the Office of Melania Trump told DailyMail.com in an exclusive statement.
The former first lady’s office also said that Trump’s layout and styling of the furniture was ‘significantly rearranged.’
‘Preserving the history of the People’s House for future generations was something that Mrs. Trump was very passionate about and took very seriously. She and her design team worked tirelessly to beautify the White House, but only a small amount of their creative execution adorns the pages of this book. In fact, her deliberate styling of the furniture and accessories was significantly rearranged throughout the book’s images,’ her office noted.
Her office did not specify the changes or what furniture had been rearranged.
The Yellow Oval Room on the second floor that served as the Trumps’ living room and was refurnished by Melania Trump
The Queens’ Bedroom, one of the rooms Melania Trump refurnished and that was never seen until images of it were published in the White House Historical Association’s new guidebook on the executive mansion; Trump changed the deep salmon walls to a much paler shade and changed out the four-poster bed for a gilded one
The Center Hall on the second floor was another area Melania Trump restored
The historic Lincoln bedroom on the second floor of the White House
The new guidebook shows behind-the-scenes areas such as the private swimming pool for the use of presidents and their families
revamped bowling alley and added new bowling balls that were embossed with ‘The President’s House’
Melania Trump also restored part of the state rooms in the White House, including the Red Room as seen above
Melania Trump was heavily involved in decorating the White House and was meticulous in her planning and execution; Each Christmas, her office released a video of her devising and checking the holiday decorations such as an image from the one above for Christmas 2020
Each first family puts its mark on the White House: the Obamas also redid the second floor residence, above is the Yellow Oval Room as seen in a shoot published in Architectural Digest – Melania Trump redid this room as pictured above
The Second Floor Center Hall under the Obamas was decorated with classic 1960s-style upholstery, antiques, and a midcentury coffee table; Melania Trump lightened the walls and removed much of the furniture
Some of Melania Trump’s redecorating and renovation work in the White House was revealed during her time there, particularly her work in the public areas, such as the Blue Room and Red Room on the State floor.
And Melania Trump said she was documenting her restoration work on January 6th, 2021, when MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol building to try and overthrow the election.
But her work on the second floor – in the private family quarters – hadn’t been revealed until it was included in the new guidebook.
Many of those rooms were scenes of key moments in Donald Trump’s presidency.
The Yellow Oval Room – which served as the Trumps’ family room – was the scene of a now-infamous meeting President Trump hosted about efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Melania Trump slammed the White House Historical Association for its new guidebook on the executive mansion, saying it doesn’t show her work properly
There was a shouting match between Trump campaign adviser Sidney Powell and White House staff over the election conspiracy theories Powell was pushing. Residence staff served pigs in a blanket and little meatballs on toothpicks, according to Axios, as the arguing took place.
Melania Trump’s unhappiness with the guidebook, however, stems with how her work was presented.
A source familiar with Trump’s redesigns told DailyMail.com that ‘The Association slighted Mrs. Trump and her design team, who helped by deliberately leaving out details regarding the work they did. It is extremely disappointing.’
‘It is very unprofessional that no one from WHHA reached out to Mrs. Tham Kannalikham, who worked closely with Mrs. Trump on all of the White House projects. They were both blindsided by this book, which lacks many facts,’ the source said.
The White House Historical Association did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment. It is a charitable nonprofit institution established by Jackie Kennedy to educate and preserve history. Every first lady since has served as its honorary chair, including Trump when she was first lady.
The guidebook, which sells for $22.95, is celebrating 60 years in print. It is updated often – this is the 26th edition – to document how the White House is changed by each family that lives in it.
This year’s edition also includes photos of President Joe Biden’s Oval Office and behind-the-scenes photos of the president’s personal swimming pool, the White House bowling ally and its massive kitchen.
Kannalikham’s office also did not respond to a request for comment but told The Washington Post that she and Trump shared a vision of ‘incorporating design elements that conveyed ultimate respect for the house and what it stands for. We worked closely on every aspect, putting a great deal of time and effort into the research and careful consideration into the final selections. In each decision, I was conscious of how important it was to the overall impact on the legacy of the People’s House.’
Most first families redecorate the White House to suit their personal needs and those of their family. The work is usually funded by the White House Historical Association.
For the upstairs rooms, which was the Trump family’s personal living space, Melania used soft pastel colors – yellow paint on the walls, pink and blue furniture, light-colored rugs – to give a relaxing and inviting feel.
And it’s unclear how long each first lady’s work will last as her successor can impose her own style on the White House. In recent years the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump families all redid areas of the White House to make it their own home. The Obamas showed off their redecoration of the residence in a July 2017 spread in Architectural Digest.
Melania Trump was heavily involved in decorating the White House for her family’s use and for official events. She was meticulous in her planning and execution.
Each Christmas, her office released a video of her devising and checking the holiday decorations. For state dinners and other official events, Trump was heavily involved and had a clear vision for what she wanted presented.
Melania Trump’s tenure in the East Wing was controversial and she was subjected to repeated criticism about her Christmas decorations, the clothes she wore and her redesign of the Rose Garden.
Trump has been fighting back against critics of her legacy as first lady, defending her actions during the January 6th insurrection, pushing back against critics of her renovations of the White House Rose Garden and touting her post-White House work with foster children.
Her defense comes at the same time Donald Trump’s legacy is being questioned by some Republicans and the January 6th committee.
He is weighing another run at the White House. It is unclear how Melania Trump feels about that.
During her time in the White House, Melania Trump added a Tennis Pavilion to the grounds and she renovated some damaged furniture and accessories in the East Room and Red Room.
She revamped bowling alley and added new bowling balls that were embossed with ‘The President’s House.’ Her redesign of the Rose Garden was heavily criticized after she removed trees that were choking off sunlight to the plants, leaving the area looking bare. The plants have since grown in.
Trump has been defensive of her work, particularly after former Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham said she was too busy taking pictures of it – capturing the White House’s rugs – to respond to the insurrection at the Capitol.
Melania Trump fought back, saying she was ‘fulfilling’ her official duties as first lady and, if she would have been ‘fully informed’ of the violence taking place at the Capitol building, she would have immediately denounced it.
The new 60th anniversary edition of ‘The White House: An Historic Guide’ , which was released July 28, offers readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
The White House kitchen as seen in the new guidebook
The above photo shows how the White House staff store paintings that aren’t being hung around the executive mansion
A rare image of the West Wing Reception area, which is where visitors to see the president and West Wing staff are received
President Joe Biden’s Oval Office is also featured in the new guidebook
Trump then criticized Grisham for keeping her in the dark, saying it amounted to a ‘dereliction of duty.’
‘On January 6, 2021, I was fulfilling one of my duties as First Lady of the United States of America, and accordingly, I was unaware of what was simultaneously transpiring at the U.S. Capitol Building,’ Melania Trump said in a statement.
‘As with all First Ladies who preceded me, it was my obligation to record the contents of the White House’s historic rooms, including taking archival photographs of all the renovations,’ she continued.
She said with several months of advance planning she had assembled a group of ‘photographers, archivists, and designers to work with me in the White House to ensure perfect execution.’
‘As required, we scheduled January 6, 2021, to complete the work on behalf of our Nation,’ she said, adding ‘this is a very significant undertaking and requires great care, attention to detail, and concentration – both in the planning and execution.’
It was likely she was photographing some of the work that appears in the White House Historical Association guide.
Those photos were taken by the association.
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