Flashback: Trump reflects on his first night in the White House in exclusive Fox Nation interview
"Fox and Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade received an exclusive tour of the White House
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Donald Trump looked back on his first day in the White House in an exclusive interview with "Fox and Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade.
"Do you remember the moment when this became your office, when this became the place you live?" Kilmeade asked the president as they walked along the West Wing colonnade, in the June 22 episode of the Fox Nation series "What Made America Great."
"I remember the first night more than any other night, and any other time ... the Lincoln Bedroom is right next to where I stay," Trump said.
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"You grow up with the White House," Trump continued, "the president, the White House, and all of a sudden was it the first night out of four years."
Standing in the Oval Office, Kilmeade observed that the president had chosen to decorate the room with statues and paintings depicting Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson, whose electoral victory has been compared favorably to the president's own in the 2016 election.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Until mine, they say that was probably the most incredible election — it was a pretty wild time," said Trump, "Andrew Jackson was a pretty wild guy."
Kilmeade also received special access to places in the White House that most tourists never get to see, including the room with the only remaining visual evidence of the fire that burned the White House to the ground during the War of 1812.
"In 1814, the British invaded Washington, D.C. The Madisons fled Washington, and in 1817, the house was rebuilt," White House chief usher Tim Harleth told Kilmeade.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harleth showed Kilmeade an area underneath the White House North Portico, where a portion of the building's original structure was intentionally left exposed.
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"I think there's something important about showing in visual form the history of this country, both the triumphs as well as the tragedies," said Harleth, "It's a reminder that this country has gone through hard times before and we got through it and we're going to go on to bigger and better things."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White House has undergone several major renovations, with the most significant reconstruction occurring during the Truman administration after engineers told the 33rd president that the aging building's wooden frame had been dangerously compromised.
"They took the interior structure of the house and completely demolished it," said Harleth, "Of course, after saving all the historical pieces of wood paneling, doors and mantles, and what you see today is the steel and concrete structure built within the original stone edifice."
Kilmeade received an extensive tour, detailing the history, architecture and decor of all the major rooms of the White House. One of the most profound aspects of "The People's House" hangs outside of the Map Room.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"What you're actually seeing there is one of the few places in the White House where the original seal of the presidency still exists," explained Harleth, pointing out the iconic symbol of a bald eagle clutching an olive branch in one talon and a bolt of arrows in the other.
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"You know that because the head of the eagle is facing the bolt of arrows as opposed to the olive branch," he observed, noting that Truman decided to change the seal.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He switched it around ... a country tired and sick of war after World War II felt that it was time that the country focused on peace versus war."
To watch all of this special episode of "What Made America Great," and hear more of Kilmeade's interview with the president, including Trump's thoughts on the recent movement to vandalize and remove symbols of American history, go to Fox Nation and sign up today.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trump's full interview and more exclusive behind the scenes footage from "What Made America Great" is available on Fox Nation as part of the 'Trump Nation' collection showcasing the life and legacy of the 45th U.S. president.
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