President Donald Trump is not the first US president to want more space at the White House for entertaining guests, according to the longest serving top aide in the executive residence, lending support to Trump’s justification for building a new ballroom.
Gary Walters, who served more than two decades as White House chief usher under presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, said every president he worked with raised concerns about the limited space for hosting large events.
“All the presidents that I had an opportunity to serve always talked about some possibility of an enlarged area” for entertaining, Walters said in an interview with The Associated Press, referring to his recently published memoir.
Trump has spoken for years about building a ballroom at the White House, even before entering politics. In July, the White House announced plans for a 90,000 square foot ballroom on the east side of the complex, initially designed to seat 650 guests at an estimated cost of $200 million. Trump has said the project will be funded through private donations, including his own.
The Republican president later increased the proposed capacity to 999 guests. By October, the two story East Wing of the White House was demolished to make way for the project, and in December Trump revised the estimated cost to $400 million, double the original figure.
The demolition of the East Wing alarmed historians and preservationists, but Walters said construction and demolition have long been part of the White House’s history. He noted that earlier structures such as conservatories, greenhouses and stables were removed to build the West Wing in 1902, while the residence itself was expanded with a third floor and later the East Wing during World War II.
“There’s always been construction going on around the White House,” Walters said.
Walters said that when a new president took office, one of his first discussions with the president, first lady and social secretary focused on how many people the White House could accommodate. He noted that even at full capacity, the State Dining Room can seat about 130 guests for a state dinner, while the East Room can hold roughly 300 chairs, fewer if space is needed for television equipment.
Trump has frequently complained that both rooms are too small and has also criticized the long standing practice of using large tents on the South Lawn for major events. Walters said the tents created problems, particularly during rain, and often damaged the grass, requiring repeated reseeding.
While Walters acknowledged it was jarring to see the East Wing torn down, he said he had fond personal memories of the space. He met his wife, Barbara, at the White House, where she worked in the East Wing as a receptionist during the Nixon and Ford administrations. The couple recently marked 48 years of marriage.
Walters’ long White House career began by chance after he broke an ankle in 1970 while serving with the Executive Protective Service, a forerunner of the US Secret Service. Unable to perform regular patrol duties, he was assigned to a control and appointments center inside the White House, a move he later said changed the course of his career.
After joining the Usher’s Office in 1976, Walters rose to become chief usher under President Reagan a decade later, overseeing maintenance, construction, renovations, food service and a staff of about 90 employees.
He retired in 2007 after 37 years at the White House, including a record 21 years as chief usher, having served under seven presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush.