Melania bears brunt of Trump's East Wing demolition

From Eleanor Roosevelt to Melania Trump, the East Wing of the White House served as a base for first ladies.

- By Eric Berger

"It was a place where first ladies could carry out the important work that they do," said Katherine AS Sibley, a professor of history at St Joseph's University.

But since Donald Trump took office again, Melania has mostly lived in New York and Florida. During the first 108 days of Trump's second term, she spent fewer than 14 days at the White House, the New York Times reported.

Now, even if Melania were to move back to Washington DC and take a more active public role, the East Wing is no more. The president ordered it knocked down to make space for a $300m ballroom. "The destruction of the East Wing just shows how little the White House cares about the position of first lady," Sibley said.

The most recent iteration of the East Wing was built in 1942 under Franklin D Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt's staff worked there.

"An effective first lady like an Eleanor Roosevelt can make a real difference, not only politically, but in society," said Katherine Jellison, an Ohio University professor emerita of history who has studied first ladies.