President Donald Trump has told members of his New Jersey golf club that he spends so much time away from Washington because the White House is a “real dump.”
Staff at the White House – a 55,000-square-foot mansion that has accommodated America’s first families for centuries - did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the remark, which appeared in a lengthy article posted on the website golf.com.
The story recounts a scene in which Trump, whose eponymous Tower boasts four gold lifts, was chatting with some club members. Trump told them he makes such frequent appearances at the property in Bedminster, New Jersey, because: “That White House is a real dump.”
It seems Trump, who once presided over the gaudy but now shuttered Taj Mahal casino resort in Atlantic City, may have had a lapse of memory since a May interview with Time magazine in which he praised the White House for its “beautiful kitchen”, “amazing” phone system and “incredible” historical furniture.
He added: “You have to be a certain type of person. People have no idea the beauty of the White House. The real beauty of the White House.”
During his presidency, Trump has holidayed on 11 weekends out of the 28, costing the taxpayer around $29million, according to a site which tracks his movements.
He has taken four trips to the Bedminster club since his inauguration.
His “opulent penthouse” in Trump Tower, which has featured in numerous interior design magazines, is decorated in 24k gold and marble and was designed in the Louis XIV style. It features ceiling frescoes, naked cherubs and chandeliers.
Former White House resident Chelsea Clinton responded to Trump’s criticism of her home for eight years by tweeting her thanks to “all the White House ushers, butlers, maids, chefs, florists, gardeners, plumbers, engineers and curators for all you do every day.”