Melania Trump met with a backlash on Monday after announcing that a new tennis pavilion would be unveiled in the Southern Territories of the White House, as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continued to increase across the country.

“I hope this private space will serve as a place of entertainment and gathering for the first families of the future,” the first lady said in a written statement on Monday, which came just weeks before the Trump family hand over the White House to the White House. His Democratic rival, Joe Biden, who easily won the 2020 presidential election.

The First Lady thanked the “talented craftsmen” who worked on the project and the “generous supporters of the White House.”

David Korn, head of Mother Jones’ office in the capital, indicated, in a brief response, “282,345”, referring to the number of people who have died in the United States from the Corona virus.

Molly Jung Fast, the traveling editor of The Daily Beast, echoed Satirical analysis Of others who joked that the first ladyFinger on the pulse of America“. she chirp: “Well, those people in their ICU beds would feel a lot better when they knew it [Trump] She finished her tennis pavilion. “

The image of the newly unveiled structure included the colonnade, parapet wall, and propeller windows intended to connect the new building to the look and feel of the White House.

In a statement, Melania Trump’s office revealed that it was inspired by the architecture of her East and West wings. Former President Barack Obama had previously converted a tennis court into a proper basketball court.

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Planning for the project began in early 2018, followed by approval in June 2019 by the Fine Arts Committee and the National Capital Planning Committee. Built in partnership with the National Mall Trust and the National Park Service.

Trump helped pave the way for the project in October 2019, which was funded through private donations. However, the White House did not disclose the cost.

The reveal of the wing wasn’t the first time the building had sparked controversy. Earlier this year, the first lady received a storm of criticism for posting on Twitter pictures of her wearing a hard hat while reviewing plans for the Temple as the coronavirus pandemic began to wreak havoc across the country.

Critics criticized, He described the photos as insensitive.

In response, Trump tweeted encouraging “Whoever chooses to be negative and questionable [her] Working in the White House to take the time and contribute something good and productive to their communities. “

The completion of the tennis pavilion follows the first lady’s redesign of the White House Rose Garden earlier this year.

Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th president on January 20. From then on, he would have the power to root out any or all of Trump’s designs if he chose to.

The Associated Press contributed to this report