Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has come under fire from the Trump administration for allegedly stealing White House furniture in 2001, a move that the Trump team has now used to criticize her recent opposition to a new ballroom project at the White House. The White House spokesperson, Davis Ingle, accused Clinton of taking items from the presidential residence during her time as First Lady, which she later returned. Ingle suggested that Clinton’s actions were not just a personal mistake but also a political maneuver that undermined the institution of the White House.
Clinton’s recent comments criticizing the Trump administration’s ballroom project, which is being funded privately, drew immediate attention from conservative critics. Social media platforms were flooded with posts recalling the 2001 incident, where the Clintons reportedly took furniture valued at $28,000, which they later returned. The Washington Post reported that the former president and his wife had to pay $86,000 for the gifts they received from donors in 2001, after the official records were corrected. However, the Clintons had initially denied any wrongdoing and attributed the situation to a cataloging error.
Conservatives, including lawmakers and social media influencers, seized upon the 2001 incident to mock Clinton’s current position, highlighting the irony of her criticizing Trump’s actions while she had previously been accused of similar behavior. Ted Cruz, a Texas Senator, was among those who brought up the past controversy, suggesting that at least Trump had the decency not to steal White House property. Other conservatives echoed this sentiment, using the past to emphasize the contrast in the political conduct of the two former leaders.
Clinton’s response to the accusations remained muted, with her office not providing any formal statement. However, she had previously made public statements against the ballroom project, arguing that the White House is a public space that belongs to the American people and should not be modified without their consent. Trump, on the other hand, has celebrated the construction of the new ballroom, claiming that it is a private initiative that benefits the public without using taxpayer funds. His announcement of the project’s commencement was met with mixed reactions, with some praising the effort to modernize the White House and others continuing to criticize the project and the political motivations behind it.
As the controversy continues to unfold, the incident underscores the political tensions between Trump and Clinton, with each side using historical issues to challenge the other’s credibility. The White House’s actions have been seen by many as an attempt to deflect criticism from their current initiatives by invoking past controversies, further deepening the divide between the two political factions.