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President Donald Trump unveiled what he says may be his next major makeover — a striking new vision for the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) — in an exclusive interview on “The Ingraham Angle” Wednesday, revealing renderings that he said would breathe new life into the once-maligned landmark.
“When that building was built, people considered it to be a really ugly building, and I looked at it – and some other people [looked at it] – and it’s one of the most beautiful buildings ever built,” Trump said.
Standing in the Oval Office alongside Fox News’ Laura Ingraham and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo, the president showcased before-and-after images of what the EEOB would look like after a deep cleaning and fresh white repaint.
He insisted the change would bring out the “detail” in the building and “highlight” its intricate features.
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Arroyo remarked that the building, abundant with sloped roofs, columns, windows and iron frameworks, holds an almost Addams Family–esque gloom that could perhaps be remedied by the change.
Ingraham, who once worked in the building, was partial to its current gray color, something Trump sees as almost funereal.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits just west of the White House, houses much of the president’s staff and has divided architectural critics.
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Originally completed in 1888 in the French Second Empire style, its dark granite façade and ornate design have alternately been praised as grand and derided as gloomy.
The building initially housed the three Executive Branch departments most closely associated with formulating and conducting the nation’s foreign policy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, according to the White House.
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Though Trump said he has yet to decide whether he will move forward with the change, he added that he is currently soliciting bids from painters.
Changes to the EEOB would mark another project for Trump, who has faced criticism for his decision to demolish the East Wing of the White House to construct an elaborate, privately funded ballroom.
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