White House tours resume in time for Christmas, but they’re different than before

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s decision to build a big ballroom where the East Wing once stood has significantly altered the visitor experience at the White House. Tourists enter through a different door now, and the tour is shorter because there are fewer historic rooms to see.

But some people who took the self-guided tour on Wednesday were just happy to glimpse the White House all decked out in its Christmas glory by first lady Melania Trump.

Tours resumed Tuesday after being suspended in September because of the ballroom construction, including October’s leveling of the East Wing.

“I’m glad they started it up again,” Kevin Heins, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said about the tours. He and his wife visited the White House, and he said a highlight of the tour was the Red Room, which has been decorated with more than 10,000 blue butterflies.

A symbol of transformation, the butterflies celebrate young people the first lady tries to help through Fostering the Future, which is part of the Be Best child-centered initiative she launched during the first Trump administration.

Susan Bare, of Kannapolis, North Carolina, also liked the butterflies because they remind her of her late son, who planted a butterfly bush before a car accident took his life.

“My Christmas tree has butterflies on it,” Bare said.

Other visitors commented on how quickly they were able to finish the tour, which has been limited to just the State Floor, which includes the East Room; the Green, Blue and Red Rooms; the State Dining Room; the Cross Hall; and the Grand Foyer.

“The tour was significantly longer last year,” said Amiah Henry, a student at Sulphur High School in Sulphur, Louisiana. “It got cut down a lot.”

Rooms one level below on the ground floor, such as the China and Vermeil Rooms, are now off-limits to the public because of the construction. Additionally, some staff displaced by the loss of the East Wing are using some of those spaces as temporary offices.

“It’s definitely a big change. There was a lot of, like, beauty in the East Wing, and that was my favorite part of the tour,” said Henry, who spoke as noise from the construction could be heard in the distance. “I’m sad I didn’t get to see it today, but, you know, what can I do?”

Heins, who is retired after a career in law enforcement and the military, said the ballroom construction would ultimately add value to the White House.

“The tour was a little bit shorter, but I think in the long run, with the extension of the ballroom, I think it’s going to be a good thing because you won’t have to wait outside in tents for events and all that,” Heins said. “I just think that, with our country, we should have something nice to host events at the White House.”