Michelle Obama Shares How She ‘Felt in Her Body’ Watching the East Wing Being Demolished 

Michelle Obama Shares Emotional Reaction to White House East Wing Demolition

Former first lady Michelle Obama has opened up about how it felt to watch the East Wing of the White House being torn down.

President Donald Trump previously ordered the demolition of the East Wing — which included the First Lady’s office, the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden and other historic spaces — to make way for a new ballroom project estimated at $300 million.

During a Tuesday, Nov. 25, appearance on the Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast, Obama, who served as first lady from 2009 to 2017 alongside her husband, former President Barack Obama, described her reaction as she saw the work underway.

When host Jamie Kern Lima asked, “What did it feel like for you and your body when you saw the East Wing being demolished?” Obama said her thoughts immediately went beyond her personal connection to the building.

“It’s not about me, it’s about us and our traditions and what they stand for,” she said. “I think in my body I felt confusion because I’m like, ‘Well, who are we? What do we value and who decides that?’ ”

She explained that the moment made her reflect more broadly on the country’s current direction and shared identity.

“That’s the thing that’s going through my head a lot lately. ‘Who are we? What are the rules?’ ” she continued. “Because I’m confused by what are our norms and our mores, not the laws, but how do we live together? That’s the part of it that hurts. It’s not the house … I’m just, you know, just trying to understand the assignment. And so I think I felt a loss for us as a nation.”

Obama added that, on a personal level, she doesn’t see the building as private property, even after eight years of living there.

“Personally, you know, that’s not our house,” she said. “That’s the People’s House.”

Back in October, the White House confirmed that the East Wing was being demolished.

“President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense. These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement at the time.

Former first lady Hillary Clinton publicly criticized the move soon after it was announced.

“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” the 77-year-old lawyer and former United States Secretary of State, who previously ran for president, wrote in an October post on X.

The modern-day East Wing was constructed in 1942 during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. As demolition continues, current first lady Melania Trump and her staff have been temporarily relocated from the East Wing.