by now you’ve seen the photos of the East Wing deconstruction. See also Jonathan Last:
The stated policy of every Democrat seeking the presidency should be that the first thing they will do is demolish the Trump ballroom and restore the East Wing of the White House and the White House grounds to their pre-Trump state.
I assume “White House grounds” would include the Kennedy-era landscape design of the Rose Garden. The original plans must be stored somewhere.
And of course, Trump had promised that the White House itself would not be disturbed. He lies about everything.
Trump’s new ballroom was originally billed as a $100 million project but has since ballooned into a $250 million behemoth that will dwarf the existing structures.
The original East Wing, which has existed in its current form since 1942, is 12,000 square feet, while the residence is 50,000 square feet.
The demolition work comes despite Trump insisting during an executive order signing in July that his ballroom renovations wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.”
“It won’t be. It’ll be near it, but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite, It’s my favorite place,” Trump said.
That same month, however, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the necessary construction will take place” to “modernize” the East Wing.
Trump also wants to build some monstrosity of a European-style arc de triomphe to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. One story I saw said it would be near the Lincoln Memorial (oh, please, no). But now I’m reading it’s to be planted somewhere in Arlington, in or near the National Cemetery. I don’t like that, either.
Along with restoring the White House and grounds as they were, I’d like some future Congress to pass a law saying that presidents cannot do any remodeling or re-landscaping of the White House and grounds without getting approval from somebody. Maybe a lot of somebodies. Let presidents redecorate to their heart’s content, but big projects need to go through an extensive vetting and approval process, which includes making public precisely where all the money for the project is coming from. Trump insists his ballroom is being paid for by private funds, but the donors need to be on the public record.
And it also hasn’t seemed to occur to Trump that pushing big and unnecessary building projects while people are losing their food assistance and health insurance because Republicans say we can’t afford it is not a good look.
See also Trump Is Using ‘Classical Architecture’ as ‘A Dog Whistle for White Nationalists’ by Layla A. Jones at TPM.
All this building has also fueled speculation that Trump really doesn’t plan to leave the White House in 2029.
Speaking of Trump’s gawdawful judgment in building projects, see Paul Krugman, Donald Trump Has Lost Touch With Reality.
He really does seem to believe that Portland is “war-ravaged,” that Chicago is full of “beautiful Black women in MAGA hats” begging him to stop crime, that China is going to cave to his trade demands, that gasoline is $1.99 a gallon, that he will lower drug prices by 500%, and much more.
Do read the whole thing. It’s very good.
All this building has also fueled speculation that Trump really doesn’t plan to leave the White House in 2029.
It's more insidious than whether he plans to leave in 2029. Every president except this one views the presidency as an office, something he occupies for awhile, executes its duties, and then leaves. The presidency is just a temporary role.
This president – and every other dictator – views the presidency, the buildings, the country, the treasury – as an extension of himself. He's free to hold onto top secret documents, for example because they're his after all. To do with as he pleases. To sell them to this or that despot because he wants to, because he thinks they're his own property.
He can remodel government buildings however he wants, because he thinks they're his. Dolling them up with gold bling is all about using them as a prop to dazzle the people coming to him, to disempower them before him. He has to be seen as infinitely powerful, and using these symbols of America, and claiming them for himself is a huge power rush.
I honestly don't care if he builds this stuff or not. I want the Republicans to make the biggest fools of themselves possible. I view trashing these time honored buildings to serve the megalomaniac ambitions of this aging loser as a huge step toward waking people up, so I'm all for it. It's time people realized the United States of America, as we knew it, is over, and those still asleep had better wake up. What better way than to see some nazi-inspired triumphal arch over Washington, or the Oval Office plastered in tacky gold do-dads straight from Temu.
Most Americans don't know or care what DC looks like. The demolition of part of the White House will not move them. A ballroom where the elite can congregate to pay homage to the king is disgusting to those of us who *get* that the White House is public housing for a special resident for a short time. But for tens of millions of citizens, it's gonna generate a collective "meh."
The 'thing' that will cause waves is the hike in insurance costs just around the corner. The GOP is whistling through the graveyard and deflecting by trying to convince voters that the shutdown is over free medical for illegal aliens. Which is a monstrous lie. Many voters are buying the lie, but early next year, it gets real for tens of millions of voters, more of them Republicans than Democrats. The ripple effects on premiums are hard to predict but no one is suggesting that premiums will go down for anyone.
This provides Democrats the biggest chance to lay an "I told you so." on Republicans nationwide. We should be grooming members of Congress to go on "Fox and Friends" and every conservative outlet that will seat a Democrat to talk about the changes to the ACA, and the benefit for billionaires. And tie it to the Ballroom, the playroom for the REAL friends of the president.
Trump plans to bail out big ag for the huge hit they are going to take for tariiffs. Normaly funds for Ag come from the same bill that funds SNAP. Ordinarly, I'd safely assume that the bailout will have to go thru Congress. At the same time cunts to SNAP are creating a crisis at food banks and measurable food insecurity. I'd say no bailout for farmers if Americans are starving so Big Ag can collect huge tax cuts.
Everybody who's getting the shaft needs to be contacted about the critical importance of voting. It seems like people on SNAP and collecting benefits under ACA should be pubic record. I'm not talking about sending out postcards – I'm suggesting a HUGE mobilization of activists to spend time talking to their neighbors. (Yeah, they would have to be trained. But one thing that the "No Kings" mobilization did (that some have criticized) is they collected names. Many of these people can meet their neighbors, maybe with a couple of bags of groceries, to talk.
People are talking about the power of AI. Screw that. The power of people contacting other people blows AI out of the water. It's not a weapon Democrats are uset to bringing to bear. I'm concerned that a LOT of people who will be hurt, and soon, are not registered to vote.
To correct a previous statement, there was an arrest in AL of a 61 YO woman at the "No Kings" protest. She was wearing an inflatable costume. Not a frog – she was dressed as a giant penis, which the PD decided was obscene. They demanded she remove it – she wouldn't and three cops took her to the ground and arrested her.
She's scheduled to appear in court on Nov 5. I hope she puts together a go-fund-me for legal and whetever that does so well she can retire,
"The Epstein Ballroom" – saw this in a comment somewhere.
The people who will really be shook by the ballroom / demolition are Trump's own base of traditionalists. This is like changing the flag or the dollar bill to them. It's disturbing on many levels, it's screwing with a major American tradition, and those who habitually look backwards will be the most outraged. They need to be.
Well that is a change. I have mostly heard people here to belittle or dislike all things French. Now you have your own would-be king with French and Versailles envy. In 2007 he had a ballroom decorated at Mar-a-Lago “in the Versailles style.” Then as 45 he was invited to the 14 of July Parade down the Champs-Élysée and decided he wanted a parade in DC just like it. Eventually he did get a parade, a pitiful one. Then he again wants a ballroom, now to look like La Galerie des Glaces of the Palais de Versailles. And the latest is an arch, again, to look like L’Arc de Triomphe of Paris. Where will it end? Will he want to somehow have a steel tower erected in Washington? Taller than the Tour Eiffel, of course… Don’t forget our last king who lived in Versailles, Louis XVI, ended under the guillotine, as well as his foreign wife, Marie-Antoinette. Go ahead and copy the French then….am waiting for the end of the story.
The stated policy of every Democrat seeking the presidency should be that the first thing they will do is demolish the Trump ballroom and restore the East Wing of the White House and the White House grounds to their pre-Trump state.
And who would pay for that demolition and reconstruction? Taxpayers?
`I bet a ton of sponsorships and donations could be raised to pay for it.
I don't care what it costs to demolish every gaudy trinket Trump brought into existence in his time as president UNLESS it was built with and thru a legitimate appropriation in Congress.
Doing 'public' stuff with ; private money solely by the authority of the president is a precedent that should be eradicated. As with emoluments, the opportunity to buy favor with the administration that you intend to turn into future profit in government contracts or other graft can not be tolerated.
If there's a good idea where private money enters the public sector (big money) let it go before Congress with a warning that there will be no special consideration in the future in future contracts between the donor and the government.
Yes, exactly. This example is just a small part of the coup that is taking place right now. The rich people want to run the government on a pay-to-play basis with the masses as just a vast pool of exploitable tax income and labor … and the MAGA zombies are just a means to an end because they are the only legitimate way under the current "constitution" to consolidate and retain power.
https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/the-scum-manifesto
For what it's worth, the psychics I follow say that the ballroom will be built, but it will be repurposed in the future. The triumphal arch will get some design work, ground work, but will never be erected. "Believe it, or not". (I tried to find a clip of Jack Palance uttering only those iconic words, I love his delivery).
All the pay-to-play and playing fast and loose with a) treasury money b) shakedowns of corporations c) repurposing money allocated by Congress to things that Congress did not approve … all that stuff is just corruption on steroids. This is what neo-feudalism looks like.
Like border denizen said, above, the super wealthy are making their play to institute a permanent two-tier society, with a tiny minority in the super wealthy class and everyone else is a serf. LLC's are buying up houses like crazy and renting them out (not cheap). Goodby middle class. Does anyone think that having a job that pays 150K will keep you above the serf class when these sicko billionaires get done with their project? What do you think the typical grocery bill is gonna be??