Trump’s White House Renovations Fulfill Obama’s Prediction, Kind Of
In 2011, President Barack Obama mocked Donald Trump at the annual White House correspondents’ dinner, which may have motivated Trump’s presidential run and his desire to leave his mark on the White House. The reality TV star had repeatedly and falsely claimed that Obama was not born in the United States, questioning his eligibility to be president.
Trump’s demand for Obama to release his birth certificate helped make him a front-runner among Republican candidates for the 2012 presidential nomination. During the dinner, Obama jokingly suggested that if Trump were elected president, he would bring major changes to the White House.
President Barack Obama said the White House would be remodeled with “Trump” and “The White House” in large purple letters, with added words like “hotel,” “casino,” and “golf course.”
Obama’s satirical photo highlighting this idea ridiculed Trump publicly, humiliating him. This moment is widely credited with inspiring Trump to run for president in 2016. In my book, The Art of the Political Putdown, I use Obama’s humor against Trump to show how politicians leverage comedy to assert dominance over rivals.
Though Trump briefly dropped the birther conspiracy after this humiliation, he later revived it during his campaign.
Author’s summary: Obama’s 2011 mockery of Trump at the correspondents’ dinner spurred Trump’s presidential ambitions and his symbolic White House renovations, blending politics with personal rivalry.