Barack Obama Did Not Tear Down Any Part of the White House for a Basketball Court

Although it's no longer the biggest political story in America, the news that Donald Trump destroyed the East Wing of the White House in order to build a new ballroom has continued to be a big deal in some corners of the internet. Even as some people express their outrage over the incident, others are working to cover for the president by reminding the public of the changes other presidents have made to the White House.

One notable example comes from President Barack Obama, who added a basketball court to the White House. Now, many want to know how he did that, and whether it required radically reshaping the White House.

Although Obama did work to make sure there was space for a full basketball court, he did not destroy any part of the White House to accomplish that goal. According to archives for Obama's White House website, he built the basketball court by adapting the tennis court on the White House grounds so that it would work for both basketball and tennis. There had been a smaller court on the grounds since 1991, but this new court allowed for full games to be played.

"Let’s see Obama built a basketball court that cost the TAX PAYERS $376 MILLION," one person wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). "But y’all are outraged by Trump building a big beautiful ballroom to host World Leaders and Official Events in the White House that is PRIVATELY FUNDED. I’m more than a little tired of y’all’s selected outrage."

Although the exact cost of Trump's ballroom remains unclear, many who support the president have pointed out that he is using at least some private funds to pay for the renovation. Obama, meanwhile, likely used taxpayer funds to pay for his renovations to the tennis court. While that is definitely the case, the renovation of the tennis court is unlikely to be nearly as expensive as Trump's ballroom.

No precise data exists for how much the renovation might have cost, but all it amounted to was resurfacing the tennis court, adding some new lines, and adding basketball hoops. As a result, the project likely cost around $20,000, a not inconsiderable sum for a personal renovation, but not one that will matter significantly to the average taxpayer. Renovations of this kind happen at the White House under every president.

So, when comparing Trump's demolition of an entire section of the White House to Obama's decision to build a basketball court, the comparison is apples and oranges. Obama might have built a court, but it did not cost nearly as much as Trump's ballroom, and it also didn't fundamentally change the layout of the White House the way Trump's renovation will. You can support or oppose either project, but what's undeniable is that the two are very different.