Internet Explodes After Trump Says ‘That White House Is a Real Dump’
Why Trump Goes to Bedminster
President Donald Trump told voters before the election he wouldn’t be taking vacations or traveling except of official business because there’s so much to do.
WATCH: Trump last year: If I’m POTUS I don’t think I’d see any of my golf courses again, I just want to stay in WH and “work in my ass off” pic.twitter.com/4nOtG7BavO
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) March 27, 2017
“I would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done,” candidate Trump also said in 2015. “I would not be a president who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off.” Ironically, Trump made those remarks at the opening of his newest course, the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia – just outside of Washington, D.C. Since becoming president it’s where Trump now spends his weekends when he’s in town.Â
Just fivce days after being sworn in as President, Trump told The New York Times he thought the White House is beautiful.
“It’s a beautiful residence, it’s very elegant,†Trump told the paper.Â
“There’s something very special when you know that Abraham Lincoln slept there,†Mr. Trump said. “The Lincoln Bedroom, you know, was his office, and the suite where I’m staying is actually where he slept.â€
Mr. Trump was referring to the White House master bedroom, which is now his own.
“Knowing all of that, it’s different, than, you know, just pure elegance and room size,†Mr. Trump said. “There’s a lot of history.â€
Fast forward to now.
President Trump, who has visited his golf courses over 40 times and his properties over 50 times in total in the six months he’s been president, has a very different feeling about the two-century old building.
“That White House is a real dump.”
That’s what President Trump told paying members at Bedminster, his New Jersey golf club, where Trump has been spending most summer weekends, and used the claim as an excuse for why he travels to Bedminster so frequently.
“As President, Trump has already made four visits to the club,” Golf Magazine’s Alan Shipnuck reports in the latest issue. That report will also be published in Sports Illustrated.Â
“He has his own cottage adjacent to the pool; it was recently given a secure perimeter by the Secret Service, leading to the inevitable joke that it’s the only wall Trump has successfully built. Chatting with some members before a recent round of golf, he explained his frequent appearances: ‘That White House is a real dump.’ Trump is often at his most unguarded among the people who pay for their proximity to him. Last November, the President-elect hosted a cocktail reception and dinner at Bedminster on the same weekend that he was holding interviews at the club with candidates for his Cabinet. At the dinner, Trump addressed the members of the club by saying, ‘This is my real group. You are the special people. I see all of you. I recognize, like, 100% of you, just about.’ Then he issued an open invitation to drop in on his Cabinet interviews the next day.”
The White House Historical Association has some excellent resources if the President would like to learn more about the history of his new home.
NBC News’ Peter Alexander highlighted the relevant quote and posted it to Twitter:
Trump explaining to several club members why he frequently visits Bedminster: “That White House is a real dump.” https://t.co/f3VYWxGMl5 pic.twitter.com/mL39uugMOE
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) August 1, 2017
A former Obama White House aide and administration spokesperson:
I don’t think even Truman, for whom WH was in dire need of repair, ever said that. The occupant should respect the history of the building. https://t.co/nZJXZOdvBR
— Shin Inouye (@shin_inouye) August 1, 2017
Progressive activist and former Clinton campaign staffer:
If Trump doesn’t like the WH he’s free to move out! We wouldn’t mind and we would all sleep better.
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) August 1, 2017
Yahoo News reporter:
If the WH is such a dump he doesn’t want to stay there on weekends, Trump could donate some of his considerable fortune to fixing it up.
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) August 1, 2017
ThinkProgress editor:
You know, if you don’t like living there, I’ve got a great idea for how you can solve the problem… https://t.co/kdX7mAsDuV
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) August 1, 2017
CNN contributor:
Trump thinks the White House is a real dump. Well, many Americans think a human heap of garbage has taken up residence there. https://t.co/4sfIyJ3re4
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) August 1, 2017
More responses:
America can help Trump find a new home in 2020. Sooner would be better.
— Gus™ (@Gus_802) August 1, 2017
The president calls that mansion we pay for him (but not his wife and son) to live in a “real dump.”
The people’s house.
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) August 1, 2017
Imagine if the black guy said this. Or a Clinton. Or any democrat.
Feel free to resign, @realDonaldTrump and return to your cottage https://t.co/95BydnfTQy
— Dump Trump (@DumpTrump) August 1, 2017
“The WHITE HOUSE is a dump.” There isn’t a soul or building that Trump isn’t willing to turn on when the moment presents itself. #Bedminster https://t.co/Vc7MwgreES
— Nick Walden Poublon (@NWPinPDX) August 1, 2017
#Trump tells wealthy #Bedminster club members: “That White House is a dump.” That house is OUR history. Trump’s WH would be an eye sore. pic.twitter.com/7wX902YDVA
— Nick Walden Poublon (@NWPinPDX) August 1, 2017
You know what?
We have a plan for alternative public housing for you, Trump.“That White House is a real dump.” https://t.co/1ugPLdFfz0 pic.twitter.com/FnLyDrcANR
— Holly O’Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) August 1, 2017
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