Can the President Tear Down the White House?

Who owns the White House? Is it the American people or the person who lives inside of it — AKA, the president?  If the President of the United States of America controls the White House, does ANYONE have say over what he does with it (we're looking at you, preservation societies and Congress)? Here to help us answer these questions (and weigh in on President Trump's renovations to the East Wing) is Robert Klara, author of The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America's Most Famous Residence  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.