Trump Demolishes Historic White House Theater; Spielberg Recalls Reagan’s E.T. Screening: “He Said It Was Real — Without Smiling”
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the White House Family Theater, originally built in 1942, was demolished last week under the order of Donald Trump to make way for a new $300 million ballroom. For eight decades, U.S. presidents — from Franklin D. Roosevelt onward — enjoyed movies in this private screening room.
The White House Historical Association stated that Roosevelt, the 32nd president and a firm believer in the importance of popular culture, used the now-demolished theater to follow World War II news. In 1943, amid the war, he famously said: “Entertainment is always a national asset. In times of peace it’s precious; in times of war it’s essential.”
Before the construction of the family theater, presidents including Woodrow Wilson watched films privately, but later leaders cherished the dedicated space. Bill Clinton once said: “Air Force One or Camp David — those aren’t the best perks of the White House. The best perk is this amazing little theater, because people are always sending me movies.”
The 42-seat theater evolved over time. Insider reported that the seats were originally green and the curtains mustard-colored before later being replaced with white seats and floral drapes — and eventually turned entirely red.
In January 1977, Jimmy Carter ordered that only “family-friendly” films be shown there, but that same Christmas, the Academy Award–winning Midnight Cowboy — a film about a male prostitute in 1960s New York — was screened anyway.
Steven Spielberg recalled screening E.T. (1982) for President Ronald Reagan in 2011, saying: “The President, the First Lady, and all their guests — including Sandra Day O’Connor in her first week as a Supreme Court justice, and a few astronauts… I think Neil Armstrong was there, though I’m not 100% sure — it was an incredible night.”
Spielberg continued: “Reagan stood up, looked around the theater as if he were taking a head count, and said, ‘I just wanted to thank you for bringing E.T. to the White House. We all loved your movie.’ Then he looked around again and said, ‘And there are a number of people in this room who know that what was shown on the screen is absolutely real.’ And he said it without smiling! Everyone laughed, because he delivered it like a joke — but he never smiled.” The director added that Reagan’s only criticism of the film was that “the end credits were too long.”
