Documents reveal Trump quietly approved $253,000 renovation for historic White house bowling alley
Donald Trump awarded more than a quarter-million dollars to upgrade lighting at the Harry S. Truman Bowling Alley, a basement fixture of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. On July 28 this year, the General Services Administration cut a check to Charles Mann Enterprises for $253,000 for the renovation.
A second contract arrived in August for an additional $8,800, covering security escorts for construction workers moving through restricted White House areas.
The report, published by Politico, drew sharp comparison between the renovation and the GOP’s attitude towards a similar renovation during Barack Obama‘s presidency.
How Republicans reacted to Obama’s announcement
Back in 2014, the Obama administration’s GSA declared the bowling alley beyond repair as the concrete had cracked, the mechanics were shot and the whole thing needed rebuilding.
Time magazine broke the story in July and by evening, the political world had exploded. Critics called the renovation wasteful and called out the misuse of American taxpayers’ money.
Reince Priebus, then serving as Republican National Committee chairman, responded with a mock budget as a social media post. It crossed out: strengthen the economy, secure the border, address healthcare. One item remained uncrossed and ceremonially checked off was “repair WH bowling alley.”
Pat Meehan, a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, went further and compared it to ice cream. “A good example is calcium. You know, calcium is necessary for survival, but ice cream, on the other hand, is a want. Everyone needs calcium, but plenty of people would do just fine without ice cream,” Meehan said.
The GSA caved in mere hours and the project got cancelled.
Trump’s past renovation
Fast forward to 2019, Trump’s wife, Melania, took interest in the same bowling alley. She oversaw restoration work on the original wooden lanes, new electrics went in with fresh interior and a more modernised renovation.
However, in this case, the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America paid for it. Which meant no federal funds went into the prpject. This avoided any criticism like the 2014 case.
More details about the bowling alley
The Truman Bowling Alley has lived in several homes. Truman himself had it installed in 1947 as a birthday present funded by his Missouri friends and supporters. It sat in the West Wing initially.
Dwight D. Eisenhower moved it to the EEOB basement in 1955 and for 70 years it stayed there. Bill Clinton also renovated it in 1994.
However, it’s not a public space. It’s basement-level, restricted to White House staff and guests they might bring in, which makes the scrutiny around all the more befitting.
More details about Trump’s renovations
The bowling alley project fits into a larger pattern of Trump-era upgrades at the executive residence. The most ambitious sits in plain sight: a sprawling ballroom under construction in the East Wing.
In July 2025, the White House announced plans to build a 90,000-square-foot state ballroom where the original East Wing stood. The project carries an estimated price tag between $200 million and $400 million. Construction began that October after demolition cleared the existing structure.
Trump also replaced the White House Rose Garden’s grass with a limestone patio, costing about $2 million. The Kennedy Center is set for a two-year closure and more than $250 million in renovations, while Trump has also backed renaming parts of the complex.
Other plans include a 250-foot triumphal arch near the Potomac, a National Garden of American Heroes featuring about 250 statues, a permanent South Lawn helipad and upgrades to fountains, lawns and White House grounds.