Secret Service agents patrol the South Lawn in front of ongoing White House ballroom construction, at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 22, 2025. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz

CNN is out with a new report Sunday detailing President Donald Trump’s hand in extensive makeovers throughout the White House complex, including the president’s input on small elements of the redesign including “the type of flagpoles on the North and South lawns.”

CNN’s Betsy Kline reports Trump “has been remarkably hands-on when it comes to remaking Washington's spending hours,” noting the president Saturday met with “golf legend turned golf course developer Jack Nicklaus.”

The pair took “aerial tours at Joint Base Andrews,” according to Kline.

“But the president is also paying very close attention to that White House ballroom renovation,” Kline said on CNN. “He leads weekly meetings at the white White House, where they discuss details as small as the size of windows to the placement of bathrooms to interior finishes.”

“And he's also been quizzing visiting foreign leaders and members of Congress on their opinions on design choices,” she explained. “We also know that the president has personally selected the limestone for the White House rose garden. He’s chosen new chandeliers for the palm room. He's chosen the type of flagpoles on the North and South lawns. And the president has really moved at remarkable speed to impose his style and tastes on the White House.”

Trump, Kine reports, “is hopeful that this will be complete by the end of his second term in office.”

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