In the minds of many progressives, the new ballroom means that there will now forever be a ‘Trumpish stain’ on the White House.
Since everybody else and his sister has already chimed in about Donald Trump’s sudden demolition of the East Wing of the White House, I thought I might toss my two cents into the bucket as well. And I’ve read a surprising amount of good coverage about it, both here and elsewhere. In general I agree with my National Review colleagues that it’s much ado about nothing, though I suspect more would complain were Trump to take my advice and replace the East Wing with a Bass Pro Shop Pyramid instead of a ballroom.
I also salute those across the ideological spectrum who are using this moment as an educational opportunity to raise awareness about how hateful most “Historical Preservation Societies” across America are. This is the industry most devastated by Trump’s headlong rush to tear down and rebuild the East Wing – because their expertise wasn’t consulted.
Good! The vast majority of these organizations are run by the sorts of useless elderly NIMBY lunatics who, in an earlier and more practical era, would simply have been abandoned on an ice floe after a vote. Seeing them fulminate impotently as Trump updates the White House is almost worth the price of admission alone. You are not needed here, friends.
The usual political suspects are also freaking out, which makes this kerfuffle that much more enjoyable. The sleuths over at MeidasTouch connected the dots, demonstrating that Trump’s proposed ballroom bears an alarming resemblance to that of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, insofar as they both resemble ballrooms. Online anti-Nazi crimefighter Will Stancil took to Twitter to announce that “an actual terrorist would be thrilled to cause this much physical devastation to the White House,” as if al-Qaeda knocked down the Twin Towers because they were overenthusiastic developers intent on replacing them with a snazzy party space. (Alas, it do not be like that, Mr. Stancil.)
But I haven’t seen anyone yet put his finger exactly on why progressives really hate this, and I figured I’d take a swing myself: To most progressives this isn’t about the East Wing, or a ballroom, or not being consulted. This is about Trump marking the White House as his territory irrevocably. You can redecorate the interior of the White House all you want during the next Democratic administration, but you’re not going to knock down a brand-new ballroom — especially one the White House actually needs far more than it needs the nondescript block of administrative office space that was the East Wing.
As a builder, Trump understands the meaning and value of having one’s name attached to something permanent. Though he himself is merely passing through the office of the presidency like any other chief executive, his ballroom will long outlast him. He has now put his stamp indelibly on the White House. It is Trump’s metaphorical “Kilroy Was Here” moment.
And progressives liken all of this to watching a dog mark its territory on a fire hydrant, or maybe their beautiful sports car. (I can assure you this imagery is top of mind for them — I talk to these people regularly.) In the minds of many, there will now forever be a “Trumpish stain” on the White House. And Trump knows they feel this way about him, on top of everything else. There is very much an aspect of intentional trolling in the way Trump has handled this – it did not factor into his motives, but it’s there to be enjoyed as a bonus.
Because the White House needed a ballroom, honestly. Once it is built people will forget they were ever angry about its construction. In the meantime, we shall see which Democrat is willing to escalate first, by publicly demanding a wrecking ball on Day One of the next Democratic administration. The voters are guaranteed to respond well to that.