President Donald Trump’s latest renovation victim is the White House’s Lincoln bathroom—a marble-and-gold revamp he shared with his followers on Truth Social on Friday to less-than-enthusiastic reviews.
Taking to social media to roast the makeover, California Governor Gavin Newsom shared an AI-generated image of Trump echoing Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the 1789 revolution.
“WOW!! THE QUEEN HAS A NEW BATHROOM,” Newsom tweeted through his press office account, before adding: “(Americans lose food benefits tomorrow).”
It’s not the first time that Newsom has drawn parallels between Trump and the unfortunate 18th-century queen, and is in keeping with Newsom’s persistent online mockery of Trump and his allies.
“I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House,” Trump posted on Friday, revealing before-and-after photos of the Lincoln Bedroom’s washroom.
“It was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era,” he continued.
“I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble. This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!”
Comedian and former presidential speechwriter Jon Lovett pointed out that Trump’s design inspiration may not quite be Lincoln-era Kentucky.
“Beautiful and historically accurate, love it,” Lovett wrote. “A lot of people don’t know this but before he was president Abraham Lincoln flipped a lot of houses in Calabasas.”
“‘…it could be the marble that was originally there!’… In the Lincoln bathroom. In 1861,” actress Ellen Barkin commented, highlighting Trump’s bizarre appeal to historical accuracy.
The Lincoln bedroom, which was named and revamped by President Harry S. Truman, likely only had a white marble mantelpiece during President Abraham Lincoln’s time.
Statuario marble—mined in Tuscany, Italy, and best suited for statues and ornaments—was not widely available in late 19th-century America.
“Millions of people are being kicked off of food assistance and millions can’t afford health care anymore. But don’t worry everyone! Trump got a new bathroom,” wrote political commentator Harry Sisson.
“So tone deaf, out of touch, and disgusting.”
Sisson and Newsom both referred to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that help feed more than 40 million Americans and could be delayed or paused beginning Saturday as a result of the ongoing government shutdown.
The Lincoln Bedroom is typically allocated to guests staying over at the White House. As it is not technically a state or official room, its decoration and furnishings do not require official oversight.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote that she was “horrified” to learn a toilet “like that” existed in the White House.
The renovation is just one part of the ongoing, Mar-a-Lago-style makeover Trump is stamping on the historic complex.
Demolition of the East Wing of the White House caused controversy last week as the site was cleared for a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
It is the latest and most visible example of the white-and-gold revamp Trump has given areas of the White House, including the Oval Office and the Rose Garden.
