I like JVL’s idea of the next president making a big deal out of tearing down the ballroom as a powerful metaphor. But I’d also accept the next president not mentioning it, and then one night, a month after taking office, at 2 a.m., razing that fucker to the ground so it’s a smoldering pile of rubble when DC wakes up. Either way, let’s make it happen.
There should be an EO signed as the next president walks off the stage at her inauguration, with heavy equipment already sitting ready to go just outside of DC. That next morning, the machinery would be wheeled in and get to work.
Meanwhile, I don't have $400MM to give to tear down the ballroom, but if I did...I would want my name all over it.
That would be petty, what should be done is using the structure but, redesign it as a new East Wing to replace the old. Then make it illegal for any President ever to make changes. Changes can only be made by winning a special federal election with the changes available to voters.
I’m fine with petty. But if we need a deeper rationale: it’s going to be a monstrosity that overshadows the entirety of the rest of the White House. It offends on every level: political, aesthetic, practical. It will be an out-of-control goiter of an annex.
It's not petty, it's the beginning of the process to remove the stain of Trump from our public discourse. It will be a form of catharsis, the equivalent of burning your abusive ex-gf/bf's old sweatshirt that you still have hang around.
With all due respect, DJT ignored the already established protocols for maintaining / modifying the ‘People’s House’. It seems to me, making it “illegal” wouldn’t matter at all. Some things are traditions, not because there are laws, but because it’s conservative.
That part of Washington DC is filled with lovely, symmetrical public buildings. Leaving that oversized construction standing next to the White House ruins the White House grounds. These are publicly owned buildings and are symbols as much as they are buildings to be occupied. They should be harmonious and not have something stick out "like a sore thumb".
East Wing. At least right now, the West Wing is still standing - but given Trump's behavior, it (and the main mansion) could also come down at any time!
He's "such a big fan of the White House" that he wants to improve it! And really, wouldn't the White House look better if was 3x it's current size, with lots of gold trim ,and plenty of marble and gold facades inside? /s
I think there’s more to this ballroom than offends the aesthetic eye. It’s about more than what it’s about. Not only is it an ode to wealth and excess, it is a nod to Trumps white nationalist Christian base led by Paula White and Franklin Graham and Turning Point USA. Episcopal priest Marion Budde gave him a good take down at the inauguration worship service held at Washington National Cathedral. As Trump never recovers from any criticism whatsoever, he has stored away this offense with his other offenses and vowed to make a place for a god made in his image. He is building a worship space for his evangelical followers who are in no way represented by a mainline denomination demanding a gospel based on the actual teachings of Jesus. He is building a place for them to worship him.
Glad the Bulwark is not letting go of the story on the demolition of the East Wing, and the gross corruption that is taking place if the new construction proceeds with private funds. It is exhausting keeping up with all of the corruption, but that is exactly the point - this regime is determined to wear us down.
The Ballroom went from 650 people to 900+ people. It now greatly over shadows the People’s House!! Isn’t there some entity to step in, it’s not about donors, it’s about scale!
i absolutely positively guarantee you that no one has a realistic idea of the cost of this monstrosity: there is no way that the plans are far enough developed for meaningful cost analysis to be done.
added in: i'll also note that any general contractor who would undertake this must be out of its mind - they will be stiffed and trump will insult their work. (and yet, such is the power of hope springing eternal, that a contractor will step forward.)
I saw somewhere last night that the contractors are taking down their websites, because people are connecting the dots of who is doing this destructive work and broadcasting it.
it's not just trump: it's the collapse of the entire gop into a complete cesspool of lib owning uber alles in which there is literally no support for the rule of law, the constitutional order, or the notion of adult behavior by officeholders.
It doesnt help that they President calls 45 million citizen who are registered Democrats the enemy. We are not enemies of the United States. We just didn't vote for a convicted felon, which is perfectly legal and rational.
Nice piece Joe. We absolutely have to keep writing and informing the public of all this administation's corruption, otherwise they will rewrite history.
Can The Bulwark hire a person (or more, as it may take more than one) to catalog all the malfeasance and impeachable offenses of this administration? Keep up a running total, please. The Dems might find this useful in January, 2027.
Joe, next time you see Tommy Tuberville, can you please ask him whether the rumor is true that he is going to be the next LSU head football coach just to spite Tim Miller for saying nasty thing about him?
" We can’t simply trust that someone else is going to tell the story straight after Trump is gone."
What about the Cheney exit boondoggle as in Anne Telnaes's cartoon string, supra? She did an excellent pictorial job of framing that historical issue in her latest...
The only way to stop our slide into a permanently corrupt form of government is to punish the perpetrators. I don't mean Trump. I mean the companies and people who are openly bribing him. The next Democratic president should expose the corruption and deliver consequences. Like terminating existing government contracts and imposing a multi-year moratorium on future contracts. Like declaring permits null and void because of the bribes used to obtain them. Like breaking up companies that bent the knee to Trump to obtain a monopoly position in the market. Like reducing the length of a pharmaceutical patent to three years. Like reducing the length of a copyright to 5 years. (Looking at you, Disney.) Liking dumping the stock of companies now partly owned by the government and driving the stock value to zero.
Would this cause taxpayer money and some pain? Absolutely. But it will be worth it to make sure companies in the future understand the risk of playing ball with a corrupt despot.
Joe - I did order "The Monster of Florence" on your recommend, and am halfway through it (would be farther, but I watch so very much football). Your take is 100% apt, and I hope future generations remain literate enough to look back upon *THIS Timeline* and gasp similarly.
I like JVL’s idea of the next president making a big deal out of tearing down the ballroom as a powerful metaphor. But I’d also accept the next president not mentioning it, and then one night, a month after taking office, at 2 a.m., razing that fucker to the ground so it’s a smoldering pile of rubble when DC wakes up. Either way, let’s make it happen.
I like the 2 AM option.
me too
Ballroom corruption already confirmed:
https://popular.info/p/update-medicare-freeze-beneficiary
Holy crap
There should be an EO signed as the next president walks off the stage at her inauguration, with heavy equipment already sitting ready to go just outside of DC. That next morning, the machinery would be wheeled in and get to work.
Meanwhile, I don't have $400MM to give to tear down the ballroom, but if I did...I would want my name all over it.
That would be petty, what should be done is using the structure but, redesign it as a new East Wing to replace the old. Then make it illegal for any President ever to make changes. Changes can only be made by winning a special federal election with the changes available to voters.
I’m fine with petty. But if we need a deeper rationale: it’s going to be a monstrosity that overshadows the entirety of the rest of the White House. It offends on every level: political, aesthetic, practical. It will be an out-of-control goiter of an annex.
It's not petty, it's the beginning of the process to remove the stain of Trump from our public discourse. It will be a form of catharsis, the equivalent of burning your abusive ex-gf/bf's old sweatshirt that you still have hang around.
I see your point.
With all due respect, DJT ignored the already established protocols for maintaining / modifying the ‘People’s House’. It seems to me, making it “illegal” wouldn’t matter at all. Some things are traditions, not because there are laws, but because it’s conservative.
Tear it down at the 1st opportunity.
But we could pardon the architect. 😁
That part of Washington DC is filled with lovely, symmetrical public buildings. Leaving that oversized construction standing next to the White House ruins the White House grounds. These are publicly owned buildings and are symbols as much as they are buildings to be occupied. They should be harmonious and not have something stick out "like a sore thumb".
The tearing down of this monstrosity and the reconstruction of the West Wing of the real White House will become a major issue in the future election.
East Wing. At least right now, the West Wing is still standing - but given Trump's behavior, it (and the main mansion) could also come down at any time!
Thank you for the correction.
Nah, Trump has said he's "a big fan of the White House"... as if it needed fans. He is such a grotesque figure with all his golden swag and his patio.
He's "such a big fan of the White House" that he wants to improve it! And really, wouldn't the White House look better if was 3x it's current size, with lots of gold trim ,and plenty of marble and gold facades inside? /s
I think there’s more to this ballroom than offends the aesthetic eye. It’s about more than what it’s about. Not only is it an ode to wealth and excess, it is a nod to Trumps white nationalist Christian base led by Paula White and Franklin Graham and Turning Point USA. Episcopal priest Marion Budde gave him a good take down at the inauguration worship service held at Washington National Cathedral. As Trump never recovers from any criticism whatsoever, he has stored away this offense with his other offenses and vowed to make a place for a god made in his image. He is building a worship space for his evangelical followers who are in no way represented by a mainline denomination demanding a gospel based on the actual teachings of Jesus. He is building a place for them to worship him.
And don’t forget Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes. Even MAGA can’t defend them.
Priceless report Joe.
How you can deal with
the likes of Comer
should earn a you a
Pulitzer.
Great article. Even greater sub-heading: "Comer's Pile".
Glad the Bulwark is not letting go of the story on the demolition of the East Wing, and the gross corruption that is taking place if the new construction proceeds with private funds. It is exhausting keeping up with all of the corruption, but that is exactly the point - this regime is determined to wear us down.
The Ballroom went from 650 people to 900+ people. It now greatly over shadows the People’s House!! Isn’t there some entity to step in, it’s not about donors, it’s about scale!
And the price stands at $300 million & counting…..
i absolutely positively guarantee you that no one has a realistic idea of the cost of this monstrosity: there is no way that the plans are far enough developed for meaningful cost analysis to be done.
added in: i'll also note that any general contractor who would undertake this must be out of its mind - they will be stiffed and trump will insult their work. (and yet, such is the power of hope springing eternal, that a contractor will step forward.)
I saw somewhere last night that the contractors are taking down their websites, because people are connecting the dots of who is doing this destructive work and broadcasting it.
The company that demolished the East Wing was swamped with bad reviews:
https://www.newsweek.com/demolition-company-tearing-down-white-house-flooded-negative-reviews-10911081
it's not just trump: it's the collapse of the entire gop into a complete cesspool of lib owning uber alles in which there is literally no support for the rule of law, the constitutional order, or the notion of adult behavior by officeholders.
It doesnt help that they President calls 45 million citizen who are registered Democrats the enemy. We are not enemies of the United States. We just didn't vote for a convicted felon, which is perfectly legal and rational.
Nice piece Joe. We absolutely have to keep writing and informing the public of all this administation's corruption, otherwise they will rewrite history.
Can The Bulwark hire a person (or more, as it may take more than one) to catalog all the malfeasance and impeachable offenses of this administration? Keep up a running total, please. The Dems might find this useful in January, 2027.
I second this emoting! And why aren't Dems doing it now and holding a weekly press conference to update the public?
Welcome to the Epstein Ballroom! Public Office, Private Parties. https://bsky.app/profile/opsan.com/post/3m4bmcusuxs2u
Joe, next time you see Tommy Tuberville, can you please ask him whether the rumor is true that he is going to be the next LSU head football coach just to spite Tim Miller for saying nasty thing about him?
" We can’t simply trust that someone else is going to tell the story straight after Trump is gone."
What about the Cheney exit boondoggle as in Anne Telnaes's cartoon string, supra? She did an excellent pictorial job of framing that historical issue in her latest...
The only way to stop our slide into a permanently corrupt form of government is to punish the perpetrators. I don't mean Trump. I mean the companies and people who are openly bribing him. The next Democratic president should expose the corruption and deliver consequences. Like terminating existing government contracts and imposing a multi-year moratorium on future contracts. Like declaring permits null and void because of the bribes used to obtain them. Like breaking up companies that bent the knee to Trump to obtain a monopoly position in the market. Like reducing the length of a pharmaceutical patent to three years. Like reducing the length of a copyright to 5 years. (Looking at you, Disney.) Liking dumping the stock of companies now partly owned by the government and driving the stock value to zero.
Would this cause taxpayer money and some pain? Absolutely. But it will be worth it to make sure companies in the future understand the risk of playing ball with a corrupt despot.
Joe - I did order "The Monster of Florence" on your recommend, and am halfway through it (would be farther, but I watch so very much football). Your take is 100% apt, and I hope future generations remain literate enough to look back upon *THIS Timeline* and gasp similarly.
Trump better hope he can find a way to cancel the 2026 elections. The threat of impeachment is more like an inevitability.