Less than a year into Donald Trump’s presidency, he’s overhauling not just some of the nation’s laws, but the house from which he signs them − and musician Jack White has some thoughts.
Amid Trump’s White House makeover, which thus far has included a paving over of the famous Rose Garden and bedecking some of its historic rooms in gold, White blasted the changes as “vulgar” and “gaudy.”
In an Aug. 19 Instagram post, the lead singer of the White Stripes critiqued an image of Trump, 79, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sitting in the newly gold-drenched Oval Office.
“Look at how disgusting Trump has transformed the historic White House. It’s now a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room,” White, 50, wrote. “Can’t wait for the UFC match on the front lawn too, he’s almost fully achieved the movie ‘Idiocracy.'”
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“Look at his disgusting taste, would you even buy a used car from this conman, let alone give him the nuclear codes?” he continued. “A gold plated trump bible would look perfect up on that mantle with a pair of trump shoes on either side wouldn’t it?”
White is seemingly referring to several money-making ventures from the president, who has long demonstrated a propensity for selling merchandise with his name on it.
“What an embarrassment to American history,” White concluded, before lauding Zelenskyy as “a REAL leader” in “a black suit.” Notably, when Zelenskyy visited the White House earlier in Trump’s presidency, he was critiqued by Trump-friendly reporters and the president himself for wearing army fatigues rather than a suit.
White, now a solo artist, once owned a furniture business, while Trump, a real estate magnate, has long been known to favor a flashy, Rococo aesthetic. The pair’s divergence on matters of style may come as no surprise, as the singer’s sartorial choices have traditionally leaned into a more cool-toned emo look.
When reached for comment, White House communications director Steven Cheung called White “washed up” and defended the Oval Office’s new ornate look.
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“Jack White is a washed up, has-been loser posting drivel on social media because he clearly has ample time on his hands due to his stalled career,” Cheung wrote. “It’s apparent he’s been masquerading as a real artist, because he fails to appreciate, and quite frankly disrespects, the splendor and significance of the Oval Office inside of ‘The People’s House.'”
The Oval Office, and the White House itself, shapeshift with each incoming administration, as staff work to transform the historical home to match the preferred aesthetic of the new first family. That Trump’s choices tilt toward a brash, Waldorf-Astoria style baroqueness slots neatly into a lifetime of building designs that reflect Gilded Age sensibilities.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack White blasts Trump’s White House decor as ‘gaudy’ and ‘vulgar’
