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The first lady’s office says public tours of the White House will resume in December after being paused during the teardown of the East Wing.
The new tour will feature an “updated route” that presumably avoids the pile of debris left behind after the East Wing was demolished to make way for President Donald Trump’s new ballroom.
“In celebration of the holiday season, all December tours will feature the White House Christmas decorations on the State Floor,” a release from the first lady’s office reads.
“The decorations in each room will be thoughtfully designed and curated under the direction of First Lady Melania Trump,” the release continues. “Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the beloved annual tradition that transforms the White House into a festive reflection of the spirit, warmth, faith, and hope of the holiday season.”
Tours of the White House used to commence from the East Wing, where visitors went through a wood-lined foyer into the East Colonnade. Those structures are no more, and it wasn’t clear where the tours will now begin.
The tours were fully closed to the public starting September 1 in preparation for the construction as officials worked to reimagine entry, exit, and tour route, a White House official said.
Under the new tour, visitors will only have access to one floor of the White House, including the Cross Hall, East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room and State Dining Room, the official said.
It will no longer include historic rooms on the ground floor, including the library, Vermeil Room, and China Room, as well as the Diplomatic Reception Room, which was opened to visitors for the first time during the Biden administration.
According to the official, some of those historic rooms are being used as office space for the first lady’s staff, who were displaced from their East Wing headquarters.
This post has been updated with additional details.




