“White House advisers—I talk to many of them—they simply want him to focus on the economy, yet he will not do that,” she told the network. Alyssa Farah Griffin served as White House director of strategic communications during Donald Trump's first term in office. Trump's unwillingness to talk about the economy is matched only by the enthusiasm with which he talks about his vanity projects. The president has demolished the White House East Wing to make way for a tacky gilded ballroom. Apart from covering the Oval Office with tacky gold decorations, Trump has demolished the White House East Wing to make way for a $600 million gilded ballroom.