President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House ballroom are not unique, according to the longest-serving top aide in the executive residence. Gary Walters, who spent over two decades as White House chief usher – a role akin to the residence’s general manager – under presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, provides context.
In an interview with The Associated Press about his recently published memoir, Walters stated: "All the presidents that I had an opportunity to serve always talked about some possibility of an enlarged area" for entertaining.
