Michelle Obama, Praising Past White House Remodels, Takes Veiled Aim at Trump

In a new essay, the former first lady writes that the presidency does not come with a "deed to a few acres of prime real estate to remake in our own image."

Since leaving the White House, Michelle Obama has sometimes sharply spoken her mind about President Trump's policies and leadership. Now, she seems to have delivered her thoughts on another subject: his efforts to radically reshape the White House itself.

In an essay about Jacqueline Kennedy published on Thursday as part of a presidential history initiative, Mrs. Obama extols the efforts by her fellow former first lady to make the White House a nurturing home for her two young children while also embarking on a restoration that protected the building's history.

"She had the foresight and humility to revitalize the People's House not as an extension of herself, but as a tribute to our nation's history," Mrs. Obama writes. "She recognized that First Families come and go. It's the beauty of the nation they serve that lasts."

The essay also hails the contributions of Nancy Reagan, Pat Nixon, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, who followed in Mrs. Kennedy's footsteps with "considered, thoughtful updates" to various rooms in the Executive Mansion. The essay does not mention Mr. Trump or the current first lady, Melania Trump, but it does include a quotation from Mrs. Kennedy that might be read as a comment on Mr. Trump's enthusiasm for the role of remodeler-in-chief.

"Everything in the White House," in Mrs. Kennedy's words, "must have a reason for being there. It would be sacrilege merely to 'redecorate' it -- a word I hate. It must be restored."

The essay is the latest installment of In Pursuit, an online series about every U.S. president up to Barack Obama (and some first ladies) with contributions from a bipartisan mix of historians and prominent citizens, including Mr. Obama and Bill Clinton; Mrs. Clinton and Mrs. Bush; and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

The series, organized by the civics group More Perfect, is nonpartisan and focused on history. But some of the contributions have carried some contemporary political edge. In the leadoff essay, about George Washington, George W. Bush hailed the first president's "humility" and his efforts to ensure the United States "wouldn't become a monarchy, or worse."

Mrs. Obama's essay does not directly mention the East Wing, which Mr. Trump demolished last year to make way for a ballroom. She previously characterized the demolition as a denigration of the role of first ladies, who have traditionally had their offices there.

She also does not mention the Rose Garden, a signature contribution of Mrs. Kennedy that Mr. Trump ripped out and replaced with a paved patio reminiscent of one at Mar-a-Lago. Both those changes were made without any formal review process.

Mrs. Obama emphasizes that she and other first ladies, when making changes to the White House, worked closely with scholars and preservationists to "advise on and approve our plans."

"Regardless of party, our families understood that winning an election didn't grant us the deed to a few acres of prime real estate to remake in our own image," she writes.

Mrs. Obama also highlights Mrs. Kennedy's role in the creation in 1961 of the White House Historical Association, a nonpartisan nonprofit group dedicated to preserving and promoting the building's history.

That group, which is independent from the government, has been criticized by some historians and former staff members for not joining other preservation groups in challenging the East Wing demolition.

In an essay posted online in September, the group's president, Stewart D. McLaurin, said its role was not to support or oppose any particular alterations to the White House, but to preserve and teach the building's history "through every presidency."

Before the East Wing demolition, he said, the group spent $2 million to document the space through three-dimensional scanning and photography. Historic furnishings and objects were removed and preserved.

"Our obligation is to preserve the record faithfully and completely," he said.