Did he really think this was going to go over well? The continued lies and attacks seem to show he did. He’s getting defensive about his vanity project. He thinks it’s going to be the best thing ever. He’s going to bring the US respect when this is done. It’s going to be beautiful and all done through donations, with no payments needed from taxpayers. (Cynical writer is cynical. Suuuure it is.) From Raw Story.
The White House reacted late Monday to deafening criticism of its shock move to pull down part of the White House’s historic East Wing to make way for a massive ballroom. President Trump defended the massive project, declaring, “They’ve wanted a ballroom for 150 years. And I’m giving that honor to this wonderful place. You’re gonna see a ballroom the likes of which… I don’t think it’ll be topped.”
We don’t give a damn about his vanity project. We *do* give a damn about ripping out the historic East Wing. Note the word historic. Certainly, it could have used an upgrade, a refresh. All of the White House could. And we’ve been doing this a little bit at a time. The building is historic and has been around for quite a while. But Trump has to have his vanity Mar-A-Slobo-style ballroom.
He’s already finished the job of killing the Rose Garden that Melania started. It’s not beautiful anymore. It’s a bland piece of concrete put in for ladies and their high heels. Disgusting. He is in the White House, not his personal palace. He needs to remember the history of the White House. But he won’t.
Demolition crews moved in on Monday, ripping off the face of the White House wing to begin building the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, designed to accommodate 999 people and be covered in bulletproof glass. California Governor Gavin Newsom dramatically stated that Trump is “Ripping apart the White House just like he’s ripping apart the Constitution.” But White House officials aggressively defended the renovation. Communications Director Steven Cheung argued, “Construction has always been a part of the evolution of the White House. Losers who are quick to criticize need to stop their pearl clutching and understand the building needs to be modernized.”
Yea no. Upgrades, okay. Ripping things apart is NOT okay. Notice how defensive Steven Cheung is. So … what is going on in the background? This is something (else) that’s very telling. Deny, deny, deny. Lie, lie, lie. Sounds like the White House staff has all their ducks in a row. Well, at least for their defense of the Ballroom. Ugh.
He also hit out at a Democratic critic, calling him “moronic” and a “buffoon.” Trump emphasized that the project is being privately funded by rich donors — including himself. He recently held an exclusive dinner to thank donors who contributed millions. “A couple of you sitting here [were] saying, ‘Uh, sir, would $25 million be appropriate?’,” Trump noted. “I said, ‘I’ll take it.'” The White House’s official response repeatedly stressed that taxpayers would not bear the cost, with its official X account claiming the ballroom “will be cherished for generations.”
Critics, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith, lambasted the project. CNN commentator Karen Finney called the timing “fairly grotesque,” especially during a government shutdown and high inflation. In contrast, CNN’s conservative commentator Scott Jennings praised the renovation, saying, “Donald Trump is all about hospitality… This is going to give us a place in the White House to do the biggest and best hospitality we’ve ever done.”
Oyyy. The biggest and best. Our eyes are rolling back in our heads and coming up lemons. How much did they pay these people who are boasting about the building? Because that’s some pretty impressive spin. And how do they expect to conduct business with all the noise? Did they not think this through? Who knows. Trump wanted a ballroom, so he’s getting a ballroom. Sheesh!
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burn it down
It appears that the whole thing is being rushed through without the usual, (and legally required), checks and balances, or consideration of existing historical values, memories and history, let alone the required structural, and space and location tests. All that is part of the normal process of approving, legally, the process of building anything, let alone something so large in this location.
So entirely typical of a Trump proposal, rushed, poorly considered, and doomed, not even in the long term, to be an expensive, low quality, failure.
Seems strange he would do something so shocking right after No Kings Day protest. Much less time for news about 7 million who protested about him or the possible release of files about his best friend.
Trumpler’s normalisation of outrageous conduct continues unabated, and the news media spins around in confusion, trying to see through the shitstorm. If I owned a media outlet, the headline every day would be EPSTEIN FILES and a count of how long the cover-up has been going on. Lest we forget.
“…taxpayers would not bear the cost.” Okay, but what about the parties that will occur there? If Trump is hosting them, they will be lavish. And felonious, general scumbag, Donny TACO has a long history of stiffing his creditors.