In 1998, the late David Broder criticized Bill Clinton in a memorable way. “He came in here and he trashed the place — and it’s not his place,” the longtime Washington Post columnist said of the Democratic president.
Broder, of course, was being metaphorical about Clinton and his impact at the White House, but a generation later, the incumbent Republican president is actually trashing the place. The Washington Post reported:
Demolition crews on Monday began tearing down part of the White House to build President Donald Trump’s long-desired ballroom despite his pledge that construction of the $250 million addition wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing building. Construction teams were demolishing a portion of the East Wing, with a backhoe ripping through the structure, according to a photo shared with The Washington Post and two people who witnessed the activity and spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe it.
To be sure, when it comes to altering the White House, it’s been a busy year for the Republican incumbent. Trump decided, for example, to pave the Rose Garden. He’s taken a borderline-unhealthy interest in interior decorating, including bringing in his “gold guy” to add gold finishes to just about everything in the Oval Office. He installed a flagpole that the president seemed awfully excited about. He even boasted about “ripping” apart the tile in the Lincoln bathroom.
But destroying parts of the East Wing, as part of an effort to build a giant ballroom, took this campaign to a breathtaking new level.
Trump’s critics have long accused him of being responsible for making a mess at the White House. Those assessments have now become literal.
When the president signed an executive order in July, related to the construction of a ballroom, he made a rather specific promise. “It won’t interfere with the current building,” he said. “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. I love it.”
As is too often the case, Trump was lying, though he tried to wiggle out of his vow after the demolition got underway: By way of his social media platform, the Republican claimed the East Wing is “completely separate from the White House itself.”
In other words, the president wants the public to believe that the East Wing of the White House isn’t actually part of the White House, despite reality.
In 2009, Republicans whined that Barack Obama was being disrespectful to the White House and its institutional traditions because he was photographed not wearing a jacket in the Oval Office. Sixteen years later, Trump brought in a crew to start destroying the East Wing.
The symbolic significance is difficult to miss: An authoritarian president, acting at his own discretion, ignored his earlier vow and starting tearing down part of The People’s House — not because it was necessary, but because he has decided he wants a fancy ballroom to host parties for the elite.
All of this, of course, is predicated on Trump’s apparent assumption that the White House is his house. He’s not a temporary steward, hired to lead; he’s a power-hungry owner, who decided the presidential mansion did not meet his tacky standards.
If Trump’s critics had predicted this during the 2024 campaign, the right would’ve accused them of being hysterical. And yet, here we are.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
