After Trump Faces Backlash for $250 Million Ballroom, People Are Wondering How Much Obama Spent on White House Renovations
The Trump administration compared his ballroom to past White House renovations, like Obama's basketball court.
Oct. 23 2025, Published 3:07 p.m. ET
Trump is facing backlash for tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom.
Critics have noted that Trump taking a wrecking ball to the White House feels like a metaphor for the way he treats democracy and the American people. Former speechwriter for President George W. Bush shared on X, "Something profoundly symbolic about Trump taking a wrecking ball to the White House ... paying for the demolition with money from cronies and insiders seeking government favors ... and the Republicans in Congress acquiescing as Trump treats public assets as private property."
Former White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards told theGrio, "While Americans are staring down the barrel of the largest health care price hike in U.S. history, Donald Trump is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on his latest vanity project."
In response to the backlash over Trump's drastic White House renovation, his administration pointed to other presidents' additions, including Obama's basketball court.
The White House released a fact sheet to the press that said, "In the latest instance of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump’s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House — a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence."
The press release then goes on to list other instances in United States history in which presidents have updated the White House, and says President Trump is "carrying forward that legacy."
How do past White House renovations stack up?
The White House has undergone renovations many times, but none as drastic as what President Trump is doing now, according to Ed Lengel, White House Historical Association historian. He told The Hill, "There’s never been anything like that [Trump's ballroom renovation] before. And I think I can say that with total confidence. There’s been nothing on that scale, even close to that scale, has ever been done before."
In 2009, President Obama converted the White House tennis court into a basketball court.
Obama's project involved drawing new lines on the court and adding basketball hoops. When it was finished, the court could be used for either basketball or tennis. It's hard to find information on exactly how much the renovation cost, and exactly which hoops Obama added, but given how little had to be changed, the price is likely negligible compared to Trump's $250 million ballroom.
Michelle Obama also planted the White House Kitchen Garden.
The First Lady Michelle Obama created the White House Kitchen Garden to encourage kids to eat and live healthily. The garden is 2,800 square feet, consisting of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. According to Business Insider, it produces around 2,000 pounds of food for the White House each year.
How much did the Obamas spend on White House renovations?
When a new president enters the White House, they are allotted $100,000 to make renovations to redecorate their residence and the Oval Office. However, when Obama entered the White House in 2009, the Obamas decided not to use taxpayer money or accept donations to do their decorating, per New York Magazine. Because the Obamas covered the cost themselves, the White House declined to disclose the budget for the renovation project.