"Surreal Experience": Trump Recalls 1st Night At White House As President

President Donald Trump has described as a "surreal experience" the first night he walked into the White House and looked into the Lincoln Bedroom. "After I won, the first night, I went up and I'm standing in the residential hallway with Melania and I'm looking into the Lincoln bedroom," Trump said during a dinner that he hosted for his billionaire backers at the White House this week.

"That was a surreal experience... We're in the White House and that's the Lincoln bedroom. And it takes a while to get used to," the President added.

Trump said he continued to be weighed down by the building's history: "I'm still probably not really used to it. It's just a special place. What can I say? So we have to take care of it."

In discussing the preservation of the White House, @POTUS recounts the “surreal experience” of his first night in office, looking into the Lincoln Bedroom:

“I'm still not probably really used to it. It's just a special place, what can I say. So, we have to take care of it.” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/KRehxGYS1G

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 16, 2025

The President also expressed his intentions to construct a triumphal arch across from the Lincoln Memorial and to renovate the White House, including the $200 million ballroom that the event's millionaire participants were helping finance.

In addition, he created a "Presidential Hall of Fame" along the west colonnade and remodelled the rose garden, paving over the grass and adding patio furniture, The Daily Beast reported.

The Lincoln Bedroom

Located in the southeast corner of the White House on the second story, the Lincoln Bedroom holds a special position in American presidential legend. Although its name implies that Abraham Lincoln slept there, historical records verify that Lincoln never did. The room was more frequently used as his office and meeting room during his presidency, when he conferred with Cabinet members and wrote important wartime documents.

The room's main attraction is the magnificent 8-foot by 6-foot rosewood "Lincoln Bed," ordered by President Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, in 1861 as part of a Victorian-style furnishing suite. The crown-shaped bed canopy is gilded and carved, and it has yards of royal purple satin over white lace that cascades to the floor.

The tassels, tiebacks, drapery silk, and satin bed hanging are all original to Scalamandre. Two slipper chairs, four of Lincoln's Cabinet chairs, and the sofa and three similar chairs make up the furniture utilised by the Lincoln administration.

Later administrations moved and refurbished the bed and accompanying furnishings so the room might function as a dignified guest space. The aim of preservation initiatives over the years has constantly been to strike a balance between historical authenticity and modern usage.

Wallpaper, rugs, mantels, and drapes were replaced with period-appropriate materials and patterns during restorations in the 1990s and 2000s. Additionally, an early image and engraving were used to recreate the crown-shaped canopy over the bed.

According to the White House Historical Association, the bedroom has been "artfully restored" to include Lincoln-era embellishments such as mantels and window cornices.

The Lincoln Bedroom is rich in tradition and grandeur due to its dual function as a guest room and a memorial to historical memory. Dignitaries, visiting heads of state, and significant personalities in American history have frequently visited it.