White House Tour: Interior

In 1791, the first representative, George Washington, chose the location for the White House. In 1792, the construction started, and Irish-born builder James Hoban proposed the winning proposal. In 1800, President John Adams and his companion, Abigail, settled into the incomplete house after eight renovation years. The British burned down the President’s House in 1814 after the Battle of 1812. President James Monroe lived in the building in 1817 after President James Hoban was chosen to restore it. The South Portico was built in 1824 under Monroe’s supervision, and Andrew Jackson supervised the installation of the North Portico in 1829. Various attempts to enlarge the President’s House significantly or construct an altogether new house for the President were introduced in the late nineteenth century, but these designs were never realized.

White House: A Historical Building

The White House displayed considerable systemic deterioration symptoms around 50 years since Roosevelt’s reconstruction. All except the exterior walls were removed as part of President Harry S. Truman’s restoration of the house. Architect Lorenzo Winslow oversaw the renovation, and in 1952 the Truman family returned to the White House. The White House has been home to every President since John Adams, and the building’s past stretches well past its completion. The White House is also the President of the USA and a museum of American history, from the First Floor Corridor quarters, which were converted from their early usage as an area for services, to the Government Floor places, where numerous politicians and diplomats have been welcomed. The White House is a building where history is still being made.

The Colossal Structure of the White House

The vast structure is divided into three parts: the East Wing, the West Wing, and in the centre is the Executive Residence. Two colonnades run between them. The six-story Executive Residence complex is the biggest among them. It includes two underground levels, a bottom floor where building employees serve, a government floor for functions and gatherings, and two floors where the President’s family stays and resides. The President holds formal receptions in the oval-shaped Blue Room on the state floor. It has been the same colour since 1837, with blue upholstery, blue curtains, and blue carpet.

White House Facts Regarding Interior and Exterior

·         The Residence has 132 quarters or separate rooms, 35 toilets, and six floors. 

·         The building contains 412 doors. Around 147 windows and 28 fireplaces are installed to accommodate ventilation and balance weather conditions.

·         There are eight staircases and three elevators to move around the building

·         The White House was being referred to as the “President’s Palace,” the “President’s House,” or the “Executive Mansion” at numerous periods in time. In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt granted the White House its present name.

·         President James Polk (1845-1849) was the first Leader to have a snapshot captured of him while in government. President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was the first president to drive in a car and venture outside the nation while he toured Panama. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first person to travel by air.

·         The White House kitchen will offer a meal to up to 140 people and appetizers to over 1,000 people.

·         To complete the outside of the White House, 570 buckets of paint are needed.

·         It has its library named the Indian Treaty Room. The reading material was shelved in alcoves on multiple categories parallel to the main reading area. The room did not represent a library in the traditional sense. Around 1918 and 1921, the Navy Department abandoned the site, with the library being the last to evacuate in 1923. From 1950 to 1961, the Indian Treaty Room was also used for presidential press conferences and well-equipped with the bookshelf speakers and bookshelf speaker stands.

Blue, Red and Green Rooms

The President holds formal receptions in the oblong Blue Room on the government floor. It has been the same colour since 1837, with blue furniture, blue shades, and a blue rug. Two parlours for entertainment are located to the left and right of the Blue Room. The Red Space, with its bright red walls, is one of them. The Green Room is the other parlour, which has green walls. The first family’s official living space is the Yellow Oblong Room, situated just above the Blue Room.

The Bowling Alley

There are many rooms for entertainment in the house.  An exclusive bowling alley can be found under the North Portico in the basement of the Executive Residence. The alley is only one lane and is used by dignitaries and presidents. This one-lane alley is digitally equipped with huge-sized LEDs and speakers.

The Cinema Room

The East Archway has a cinema room that stretches nearly the whole length of the building. Presidents and their friends have access to whatever film they choose, at any period of the day, well when it is not even released in theatres. It has built-in speakers and projectors for further enhancements. Many presidential families do not enjoy this luxury in other countries.

The Situation Room

The Situation Room, a 5,000 square-foot facility in the underground, is where the President provides information and crisis assistance. The National Security Council is in charge of it.

The Naval Restaurant

The Navy Messing and Ward Room, a restaurant run by the US Navy, is located a few rooms down. Official meals, like dinner parties, are held in the State Dining Room, which is separate from the Navy Messing and Ward Room. It can seat up to 140 people. In any way, these restaurants and dining halls are on par with every five-star establishment.

The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

The James S. Brady Press Conferences Space, where the White House national media coordinator provides updates to the news media, is one of the most photographed areas in the West Wing. We often see coverage on TV in this room. Many diplomats and dignitaries often give media briefings in this room. 

US Election 2020: Campaign Song

Tracks utilized for politicians or election movements are known as campaign songs. Most contemporary campaign songs are inspirational traditional songs or original creations that convey an optimistic sentiment about a campaign or nominee, typically by referring to nationalism, hope, or a light-hearted connection to a specific nominee’s specific characteristic as ethnic background or place. In certain instances, the campaign song is a thinly disguised assault on a rival candidate or political group. The usage of a patriotic song is most well-known in the quadrennial US presidential race, where all major political parties use one or couple of songs to associate with their campaign.

Origins of Campaign Songs in Us Election

The beginnings of campaign songs can be traced back to political jingles used in American political campaigns, particularly presidential elections. The lyrics were often set to well-known tunes or familiar melodies of the day, such as “Few Days,” which acted as the basis for “Up in the State Department.” “Tippecanoe and Tyler too,” for example, was maybe the most well-known of them. This was first heard in Zanesville, Ohio, and quickly circulated throughout the nation, becoming a political slogan. In 1872, a revival effort was undertaken for “Greeley Is the Very True Blue.” Campaign songs were sold in publication songbooks called “songsters,” which often included music.

The Log Cabin Music Book of 1840 and Hutchinson’s Republican Songster for the 1860 presidential election campaign were two examples. Itinerant stump speakers, live horses, Aberdeen corps, red flames, floats, transparency, and rapturous mass assemblies in courtrooms and town halls were all part of nationwide initiatives for several years. Glee clubs were formed to promote campaign songs and lead crowds and matchers in their singing. The songs played an important role in retaining crowd attention, stressing topics, generating excitement, and satirizing critics. The campaign song has lost favor as a traditional phrase due to improvements in campaigning techniques.

Us Election 2020

The 2020 general election in the United States was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on November 3, 2020. Ex-Vice President Joe Biden and current California Representative Kamala Harris of that same Democratic Party beat incumbent President Donald Trump with Vice President Mike Pence of the Republican Establishment.  Trump is the only US president to fail a re-election campaign since George H. W. Bush in 1992 and the eleventh sitting president in the country’s history. Biden received 51.3 percent of the popular vote, the highest proportion of the public vote earned by a presidential candidate since 1932.   Since 1900, the referendum has had the largest voter turnout. But it was perhaps their music collection as campaign songs that piqued everyone’s interest the most. Let’s talk about it:

Mr. Trump’s Campaign Songs

Mr. Trump usually chooses songs based on how they make him feel, rather than an educated comparison of the lyrics. His before-the-speech playlist is intended to energize the listeners. They often wait for hours ever since he appears on the scene, so the emphasis is on classic serenade, which appears to be aimed at conservative voters in their late ages. This includes songs like Tiny Dancer by Elton John and Gloria by Laura Branigan and raucous traditional pieces like Nessun Dorma and the patriotic Battle Of The Hymn Republic. As he courted black voters, the president has begun to include a few soul classics in his set. Once his rally in Erie, Pennsylvania featured James Brown’s Please, Please, Please and Barry White’s My First, My Last, My Everything. he claims that he had done more for the black community than Biden in 47 years. 

Mr. Trump’s Campaign Songs

·         We Are Champions By Queen

·         Tiny Dancer By John Elton

·         Nessun Dorma By Luciano Pavarotti

·         Proud To Be An American By Lee Greenwood

·         Eye Of The Tiger By Survivor

·         Everybody Hurts By REM

·         Gloria By Laura Branigan

·         Macho Man By The Village People

·         Free Bird By Lynyrd Skynyrd

·         Please, Please, Please By James Brown

Critics Being Trolled By Trump Using Campaign Songs

Mr. Trump’s music collection is dominated by retro rock songs that exude strength and combative self-assurance. He often performs Queen’s We Are The Champions, a song whose theme, “No time for losers,” might almost be interpreted as the president’s inner monologue.  Mr. Trump’s decisions always seem to be aimed at his detractors. Why else does he play Crazy by Gnarls Barkley or You Can’t Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones? And, by songs like Michael Jackson’s Beat It, he gets an artistic airing for his alleged abuse by the media. However, the album encourages people to withdraw. “You’d best stop when you still can,” Jackson suggests, implying that while you think you’re strong, your rivals are harder… so be the better guy and walk down.

Biden’s Campaign Songs

Since announcing his nomination in April 2019, Mr. Biden’s compilation has been nearly equally split around black and white musicians. The Staple Singers’ intense slash We The People – an uplifting, tuneful chorus to peace whose title was taken from the US Constitution’s preface – has recently become his move song. His campaign songs mostly included:

·         Reach Out By Four Tops

·         Heroes by David Bowie

·         I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross

·         Good Time By Sam Cooke

·         We The People By Staple Singers

·         We Take Care Of Our Own By Bruce Springsteen

·         The Edge Of Glory By Lady Gaga

·         Lovely Day By Bill Withers

·         Higher Ground By Stevie Wonder

·         Stay By Alessia Cara

Mr. Biden normally exits the scene to the melodies of Bruce Springsteen’s We Take Care Of Our Own after singing. Like Born in the USA, the album is a criticism of the United States and was composed in reaction to President Bush’s management of Hurricane Katrina.

 Concluding Thought

While music may appear negligible compared to the many aspects of an election, campaign tracks may have a huge impact on how a politician is viewed and have reflected the ever-changing partnership between music and politics. Since not every elector is informed about political problems or has a clear political allegiance, identity plays an important role in campaign policy. As a result, candidates often use music to connect with supporters and attract votes. With the introduction of social media, presidential candidates have focused on developing an identity that people can relate to.