Trump isn’t the 1st president to want more room to entertain, longtime White House usher says
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump The longest-serving top aide in the executive residence says he’s not the first president to want more room for entertaining in the White House and offers some support for Trump’s reasoning for his decision. ballroom construction project.
Gary Walters spends I have served as the White House chief usher for more than twenty years. presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – a role similar to being the residence’s general manager.
“All the presidents I’ve had the opportunity to serve have always talked about the possibility of expanding an area,” Walters told The Associated Press in an interview about his recently released memoir.
Trump had been talking about building a ballroom at the White House for years, even before he entered the political arena. In July, White House announces 90,000 square feet of space It would be built on the east side of the complex to accommodate 650 seated guests at a then-estimated cost of $200 million. Trump said it would happen paid for by private donationsincluding that.
The Republican president later increased the proposed ballroom’s capacity to 999 people, and by October demolished the two-story East Wing The White House built there. In December, it raised the price tag to $400 million; which was twice the original estimate.
Images of the destruction of the East Wing shocked historians, preservationists and others; but Walters said there is a long history of projects on campus, from the demolition of conservatories, greenhouses and barns to build the West Wing in 1902, to the expansion of the residence with a third story, to the addition of the East Wing during World War II to provide work space for the first lady, her staff and other White House offices.
“So there was always construction going on around the White House,” Walters said.
Other presidents complained about lack of room for entertainment
Walters said that when he took office, the capacity of the largest public rooms in the White House was among the first issues he discussed with the new president, first lady and social secretary. The presidents he served in all talked about the limited number of people the White House could handle.
When set up for a state dinner, the State Dining Room can seat about 130 people: 13 round tables with seating for 10 people each, Walters said. The East Room can accommodate approximately 300 chairs; if space is needed for television cameras it will be less.
Trump frequently complains that both chambers are too small. He also complained about the use of large tents in the southern territories, which are the main solution for large events such as lavish state dinners for foreign leaders. Walters said there were problems with the tents.
“When it rains, no matter what we try to do, the water runs downhill and the grass gets soaked,” Walters said. “We dug culverts outside the tent to get water.” He said the tents damaged the grass and reseeding required more work.
Walters admitted it was a bit jarring to see the East Wing demolished and said he had fond personal memories of the space. “I met my wife at the White House and she was working in the East Wing, which was a great joy,” Walters, 79, said.
His wife, Barbara, worked as a receptionist in the visitors’ office during the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. The couple recently celebrated the 48th anniversary of their marriage.
Broken bones alter pioneer’s career trajectory
Walters owes his place in history as the longest-serving chief usher in the White House to his broken ankle.
In early 1970, he was 23, honorably discharged from the army, and looking for a job that would allow him to finish college at night. The Executive Protection Service, the forerunner of the U.S. Secret Service, was recruiting and accepting him.
But shortly before the graduation ceremony, Walters broke his ankle playing football. Hobbling without his uniform, in a cast, and on crutches, he was unable to go on patrol, so he was given a temporary assignment at the White House Police Control and Rendezvous Center. Five years left.
“This injury also changed the course of my career,” Walters wrote in his memoir, “White House Memoirs: 1970-2007: Reminiscences of the Longest Serving Chief Usher.” “He gained in-depth knowledge of the White House’s methods and security systems, knowledge that will benefit me greatly in my future role at Usher’s Office.”
A few months after he was promoted to sergeant in 1975, he learned of an opening in the Bailiff’s Office. He applied and joined as an assistant in early 1976.
A decade later, he was promoted to chief bailiff by Reagan, who gave Walters the top job to oversee administrative, financial and personnel functions, as well as maintenance, construction and renovation projects and food service at the residence. He managed a staff of approximately 90 butlers, cleaners, cooks, florists, electricians, engineers, plumbers and others.
Walters retired in 2007 after 37 years in the White House; This includes 21 years as chief bailiff. He served under seven presidents, from Nixon to George W. Bush.
In that time, Walters has seen a broad cross-section of presidential history: the only president to resign, an appointed vice president to be the only president not to be elected, a president to be impeached and remain in office, a father and son to become president, and the Supreme Court to decide the most contentious presidential election in U.S. history.
She is often asked what she enjoys most about her job, and “I say without hesitation that it is getting to know and interact directly with the president, the first lady, and other members of their families. It has been an honor to get to know them with my own eyes and ears,” Walters wrote.
