We did it. It’s done. Over. Mission accomplished. Melania Trump is nearing the end of her term as first lady and one can start looking back at her achievements, starting with the tennis pavilion, which her office announced was finished today.
It seems like just yesterday that she shared an update on the the thing—it was the beginning of March, the pandemic that would kill hundreds of thousands was just beginning its stranglehold on the U.S., and our first lady had her hard hat on, getting to work not on helping to contain the virus, but instead on this tennis pavilion. And what can we say about the result? It’s a pavilion! For tennis. And, from the looks of the photos shared by the East Wing, for sitting on couches and a small kitchen table. It looks nice. Very country club meets White House.
“I am pleased to announce the completion of the Tennis Pavilion on the White House grounds. Thank you to all of the talented craftsmen who made this project possible and to the generous supporters of the White House,” Melania said in her statement. “It is my hope that this private space will function as both a place of leisure and gathering for future First Families.”
It’s approximately 1,200 square feet with a limestone exterior , copper roof, and columns that echo the White House. Wait a minute, 1,200 square feet? A bit less than double the size of an average New York City apartment? What’s the bathroom situation like? Newly renovated?? The Trump family won’t even be there? Man, forget singles. Forget doubles! There’s a growing housing crisis, but even in the best of times in America, this tennis pavilion would house two families and a dog in some cities.
So anyway, the Trumps won’t really get to enjoy the fruits of Melania’s labor, this thing completed in one year. It’s not exactly tennis season. I suppose one could head over and hide out, with a magazine and a Bloody Mary, and forget the world a bit, the things you couldn’t stop, the things you wished you’d said. No racket required. But it does make one think of the things that her lesser half tried and failed to build. A hulking southern wall, for example. A rug pulled out from under democracy. Thank goodness, really, that the main we got was a tennis pavilion.
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