President Donald Trump on Thursday shared remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who argued that the White House currently lacks adequate facilities to host foreign dignitaries and called the East Wing Project critical to national security and diplomacy.
In a post on X, Trump quoted Rubio as saying: “In my work with heads of state and foreign ministers, I am frequently hosted in reception facilities that are visually impressive and reflective of the wealth and beauty of the nations I am visiting. In the United States, by contrast, we currently lack the ability to hold large events of a similar magnitude on White House grounds for those same heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Instead, we must currently host such visits in plastic or canvas tents on the South Lawn with unsafe and unsanitary portable bathrooms and accommodations unbecoming of our national stature.”
Rubio also highlighted security concerns, stating: “We must obviously seek every reasonable means to mitigate both the more predictable risks, including weather and physical incursions, but also emerging threats…The East Wing Project is essential to that defensive security posture. The Project is absolutely critical not only for the physical safety of guests, but also for advancing our diplomatic relations and the interests and standing of the United States in the world.”
The remarks underscore the administration’s push for upgraded White House facilities to match the standards of other nations.
