
The problem is the way they went about the changes. The national park service owns the White House and maintains it as an “artifact” like any other historical site. What Trump did is the equivalent of trying to put a new asphalt shingle roof on the Paul revere house, without consulting the national park service. He hired contractors and just did something and now everybody is FREAKED, cuz it’s the whole “who knows what Elenor Roosevelt might have hidden in the walls” when the place was built.
Other presidents have made minor renovations. Usually each president is given a small budget (to work with the national parks service), Obama put in solar, a sub kitchen for garden parties and also added basket ball hoops to a tennis court to make it a multi use court. Trump destroyed a whole wing without “discussing it with the landlord”