By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Multiple sources within the Trump administration have confirmed the White House’s East Wing will be demolished imminently to make way for a new ballroom. While Trump has stated he will personally fund the $200 million project and that the demolition is necessary for proper construction, plans for the new ballroom have not been submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission. Despite White House claims that demolition does not require commission approval, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has urged a pause, citing concerns over the project’s scale and potential disruption to the White House’s design. The project is already facing criticism, as Trump’s earlier statements claimed the new construction would not impact the existing structure.
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No plans filed for Trump’s new ballroom despite demolition being under way, and the whole situation feels…off, doesn’t it? It’s hard to wrap your head around the idea of tearing down part of the White House, a symbol of American history and democracy, without so much as a blueprint. It’s like starting a major renovation project on a whim, with no real plan, no architect, and no permits. The sheer audacity of it all is stunning. You just start taking the walls down, hoping it all works out somehow? It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion, except the train wreck is the very foundation of the country.
The more you think about it, the stranger it gets. If this were any other president, can you imagine the uproar? The calls for investigations, the accusations of malfeasance? Yet, here we are, watching demolition proceed while the details of what’s coming next are nowhere to be found. It feels like there’s a complete disregard for the legal and historical requirements. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the organization created by Congress for historic preservation, even had to step in and point out the need for public review of the demolition plans. Shouldn’t that have been step one?
It also makes you wonder what the ultimate goal is. Is it simply incompetence and impulsiveness, as some people believe? Or is there something more sinister at play? Are there hidden agendas? Perhaps it’s a way to pocket money? The lack of transparency raises so many questions, especially if there aren’t even any contracts to show who is doing the work and how it was awarded. One might even wonder, if they don’t release any plans, is it because they have to disclose where the Russian bugs will go?
It’s almost as if it’s a deliberate act of destruction. It’s about tearing down something that represents the country and everything it stands for. Some people think it’s a way of exerting power, a symbolic middle finger to anyone who dares to question him. The fact that the construction company that bid on the demolition, a nearly century-old family business, was immediately destroyed when the news broke that they were the ones doing the work.
Then there’s the speed of the whole thing. The demolition happening before any approvals, let alone detailed plans. Some are even joking that maybe the idea is to destroy the White House, pocket the money, and then make Mar-a-Lago the new “King’s residence”. It’s a fitting metaphor, a way to show complete disregard for the values of democracy. It’s a scary thought to see the symbolic seat of the country torn down by a bulldozer right in front of your eyes.
The lack of plans also opens the door to potential financial misdeeds. Without plans, there are no contracts, and without contracts, there’s no real oversight on who’s getting the money and why. It’s practically an invitation for money laundering. And who will be the architect? There’s a chance that it could be Trump himself, the best architect ever, according to some. What a joke!
And where does that leave the White House? Will it just be a gaping hole in the East Wing for years? Covered in scaffolding? The whole thing is incredibly frustrating and just plain wrong. It’s illegal, and yet it’s happening, with seemingly no one able to stop it. As the saying goes, “He’s good at destroying things.” The sheer arrogance of this entire situation is truly breathtaking.
The whole situation brings up old memories. For example, President Ford had to think about whether or not to include a pool in the White House. He was warned it would be seen as frivolous. It’s hard to imagine anything more frivolous than destroying part of the building with no plans and no real purpose.
It also makes you wonder what the true purpose of this whole project is. Some people have wondered if it is not about the ballroom itself. Perhaps it’s a cover-up for something deeper, something hidden beneath the surface. It’s hard not to feel that there is something very wrong going on with the fact that nothing seems to be above board. All of this makes it difficult to watch the seat of democracy slowly be destroyed by a lack of oversight. All in all, this all just feels really, really bizarre, doesn’t it?