Trump is worried about his legacy, I think the pile of toxic rubble that once was the White House being dumped on a golf course is about as perfect as he's going to get.
Any other business would be fined and/or sanctioned in some way for demolishing a building full of toxins without environmental safeguards. Ditto for dumping the toxic material on a public golf course. Then they would be required to remove it in an environmentally, and legally safe way to a proper location. Why is he always allowed to flout the law?
As Congress never approved any of this, I'd prefer that we use the "private money" that Trump supposedly obtained for his ballroom to rebuild the East Wing of the White House exactly as it was.
Then, and only then, Congress can discuss whether a ballroom might be useful, and whether it might be beneficial to tear down the East Wing to build it.
He’s not planning to leave. The ballroom is a cover for the bunker. He’s firing all of the military brass. He’s moved his cabinet into military housing. This is not ego. We need to start talking about this as a possibility.
Interestingly, the protocol for the president when he’s in danger as to remove him from the White House. There’s no strategic reason to expand the small bunker they have there right now. During 9/11, they put bush on a plane and flew him around. I believe there’s a location in the West Virginia mountains as well. And I think something out in Colorado. There’s no reason for Trump to be expanding the WH bunker unless…..
I am for splitting the difference and just calling it a "Tactical Ballroom" to highlight the ridiculousness of it all. Because, as we all know, one of the major lessons of warfare is your first order to business when in a forward area is to build a series of tactical ballrooms in order to secure the area.
His sycophants and enablers will prop and pump him up as long as they possibly can. The last remaining shred of thought that Trump will hold onto is the conviction that wherever he lives is the center of the universe.
It's not a matter of luck. It's karma. I laughed and laughed at the coverage of Trump's PGA golf tournament at Doral. The one with the 20 million dollar purse and 15ft statue of Trump put up to welcome all the fans. No one showed. Estimate of crowd on Friday was 100 people. Karma is a beeotch.
I've been commenting on this for some time.... he does not plan on leaving and believes he will be safe in his ballroom fortress from any effort to remove him. That is why he is so desperate to get it done before 2028.
Back when he was enthused about having a military parade in DC, it occurred to me that he might as Commander-in-Chief order the troops to stick around and shield him from being turned out of office.
So I went on Bluesky and pretty quickly got a gift link to that Atlantic article. It was quite an enjoyable read. I mean, I can't do anything about what's in the article or anything, but if you like nasty details about people trying to destroy us, it's fun. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop thinking that the FBI agents voted MAGA in overwhelming numbers.
You know (takes breath, tries not to rant) I sure wish one of these articles about how our President is so opposed to alcohol, what a Boy Scout he is, could mention that he owns a vineyard and sells wine.
For your mornings amusement and amazement, you really should read Sarah Fitzpatrick’s latest bombshell on Ka$h Patel’s, his spelling, boozy gifts he’s been handing out. It will have your jaw scrapping the floor of the locker room at the Milan olympics where apparently a bottle of his personalized bourbon was left after partying with our winning hockey team. Our dear FBI has no drinking problem, but has bis own personalized Bourbon bottles with his name and title as FBI director which he has been handing out as gifts to various people including FBI staff and at official FBI functions. The Atlantic even has photos of a bottle they acquired from an unarmed recipient in Las Vegas. It is the sort of shit you could never make up. And yet Comey with his seashells are much more damaging to this country.
You gotta hand it to Sarah, as Heather CR wrote this morning:
"Ron Filipkowski of MeidasNews noted: 'The journalist who is being sued by Kash Patel and reportedly being investigated by the FBI is out with a new story. Is there a Pulitzer for being a fearless badass? If so, she should win it.'”
The Bulwark should give Sarah Fitzpatrick the "1st Annual Bulwark Badass Award" in the shape of a big, gold middle finger salute. The award would be presented by JVL wearing his new pro wrestling-style Webby Award belt in a WWE-style event because, of course it would be.
Thanks! I'm sure DJT doesn't especially care that Ka$h is doing some grifting here. After all, grifting is for DJT and some select billionaire friends. ( not a drunken nimcompoop like Patel)
Definitely the kind of gift that says "Drinking problem? Who, me?" Definitely the kind of gift that says, "I don't have any friends and I perpetually drink alone. Will you be my friend?"
I also love that The Atlantic put this out while there is reporting out there that Fitzpatrick is under a criminal investigation by the FBI, and while Patel is suing them for $250 million. They will not be intimidated by Patel's boobs in the Federal Bureau of Incompetence.
This should give him pause as to what other pieces of rotten meat might burble up from the swamp. By picking at the scab, Ms. Fitzpatrick has exposed the gusher below.
It isn’t just Trump who sees himself as owning everything in America (and maybe the world) it is Republicans. Republicans are claiming ownership of America. Period. They believe they have a divine right to everything in this country and that it is theirs to do with as they please. Trump is nothing more than their chosen avatar. Their champion to wage war on everything they hate and build the temples that MAGA can worship at.
30% of the country wants to own the other 70%. Those are the facts of who our fellow Americans are.
I would say the there is an oligarchy numbering much less than 30% who want to own the country and that they are using MAGA diehard populism as a lever.
Being a born and bred Washingtonian, I know FIRST hand the RAT problem in DC. A big gaping hole next to the White House will be a gold edged invitation for the rats to take up residence. Fitting. Sums up the administration’s to a tee! 🐀🐀🐀
Rats turn "cannabilistic" in overcrowding, so as long as trump has some ketchup, the rat problem should remain under control. He may not even need the ketchup--it is more effective splattered across the wall when you are throwing a tantrum.
If you do find yourself in a physical altercation with the President, beware of the tactical Florsheims. And beware the ankles concealed by his trademark stovepipe socks.
>> "Who do you think would win in a physical fight between you and Donald Trump?... It’s fun to imagine the struggle of the MAGA mind faced with this question, which sets two load-bearing pillars of the ideology against one another—who’s a bigger alpha-male he-man, me or the president? For our part, though, we think the median Republican is selling himself short on this one."
My go to theory for the MAGA base is that they don't really listen directly to Trump, or watch him, they get their dose of Trumpism filtered through favorable, propagandistic coverage. I was in a beach store in Daytona on a trip, and they had T-Shirts with Trump's face on Rambo's body from Rambo: First Blood Part II. They picture Trump as a Rambo-like, ur-masculine figure. I think they literally do not see Trump not as a frail, bruised, overweight octogenarian but some sort of superman. And that maybe explains how anyone could seriously think they'd somehow lose a fight to a guy who claims he gets bruises from shaking hands.
There is a photo of Trump in golf shirt and red hat, sans makeup, standing in the middle of a room at one of his golf courses, as people mill around & pay no attention to him. He looks so pale and lost. We should start wearing it on t shirts, with the caption, “You’re afraid of THAT?”.
It is pure projection. MAGA sees themselves as Rambo, but because they cannot put themselves above their godking, they must live their projection through Trump. They are forgiving Trump for behavior that they themselves would engage in if not for those pesky laws.
It's not really about physical fitness. Trump would lose every fight, because he is a coward. This is a guy who has had personal security around him since he was 6 years old. He talks big, because he never has to do the fighting. If he got punched in the nose for real, Trump would fall to his knees and whimper like a baby.
Has anyone calculated the HVAC bill for a 90,000 sq ft ballroom yet? How about maintenance, depreciation, cleaning, window washing, etc.? The operating costs were always going to fall on you and me.
"When a president who believes in democracy and republicanism succeeds Trump, he or she can restore an appropriate East Wing to the people’s White House. For now, we can fight to stop the ballroom. If this means leaving the area immediately east of the White House as a construction site—or rather, a destruction site—for the remainder of Trump’s presidency, so be it. Let its ugliness exemplify the ugliness of the Trump era. Let its rubble symbolize what he has tried to do to the American republic."
Not everyone's a fan of Bill's writing I suppose, but I am. Especially good is his mock Trump stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness) writing, as it's diametrically opposed to Bill's thought processes.
Math is not my strong suit, so I'll ask someone to explain the calculation of this to me:
How is it that we (via DOGE) did not have money for helping sick people around the world, with communicable diseases that could endanger all of us in the United States, among many other things deemed wasteful spending, yet we can pony up one billion dollars of taxpayer money for a ballroom that benefits (and will be used by) exactly none of us?
Bill Kristol's writing is on point, as always. Let the destruction and rubble stay. Let us all reflect on what has been done.
The gaping hole is the perfect symbol of the Trump Presidency. It should be undisturbed as a warning to future generations of Americans.
Should he enshrined as '"Trump's Ass Hole."
Excellent
Trump is worried about his legacy, I think the pile of toxic rubble that once was the White House being dumped on a golf course is about as perfect as he's going to get.
Art imitates life
Any other business would be fined and/or sanctioned in some way for demolishing a building full of toxins without environmental safeguards. Ditto for dumping the toxic material on a public golf course. Then they would be required to remove it in an environmentally, and legally safe way to a proper location. Why is he always allowed to flout the law?
Another fitting legacy: Turning the WH into a Superfund site.
Leave the pile of rubble dumped at the golf course and name it The Donald J. Trump Toxic Dump.
I'd rather name the next sexually transmitted disease after Trump.
I expect the DJT STD will be one transmitted by what I will primly call ass-kissing.
Yup, and the symptom is their junk turns orange.
I’d say things went a tad deeper than a mere peck on his wrinkled derrière.
We're staying within shouting distance of tastefulness here . . . .
Stevie Miller, the human butt plug, will be infected for sure.
I think HBP is his official designation on the White House Org Chart . . . .
How about renaming the Hantavirus to Trumpvirus?
jog - but first Covid 19 would like a word…
That is fitting; droppings from rats.
Works for me.
Nice! He is the world's largest rodent.
We may have to defer to Covid, but a disease transmitted by inhaling rodent feces is certainly a strong contender.
Rather than ‘It Takes a Village’ it is more like VD village.
The Trump Memorial Dump!
I would love to see this! Much more than spending yet MORE money to tear down/rebuild
I have always said that the ballroom, like the WALL, will never be built.
Rob - meanwhile back in borderlands: https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_20b0276a-2ed2-4f13-8e91-93dd9fb669b5.html
So far kinda like his gilded palace - lots of destruction & mess, but far from built
And never be paid for
As Congress never approved any of this, I'd prefer that we use the "private money" that Trump supposedly obtained for his ballroom to rebuild the East Wing of the White House exactly as it was.
Then, and only then, Congress can discuss whether a ballroom might be useful, and whether it might be beneficial to tear down the East Wing to build it.
That is too logical. Can't happen in the United States of Today.
He’s not planning to leave. The ballroom is a cover for the bunker. He’s firing all of the military brass. He’s moved his cabinet into military housing. This is not ego. We need to start talking about this as a possibility.
Yeah, but I'm going to keep calling it a ballroom because the American people in their wisdom would support a bunker.
Interestingly, the protocol for the president when he’s in danger as to remove him from the White House. There’s no strategic reason to expand the small bunker they have there right now. During 9/11, they put bush on a plane and flew him around. I believe there’s a location in the West Virginia mountains as well. And I think something out in Colorado. There’s no reason for Trump to be expanding the WH bunker unless…..
Hitler committed suicide in his bunker.
we should be so lucky!
I think Bush ended up at Offutt in Omaha at some point on 9/11 too, clearly the WH was not the place for him to be!
I am for splitting the difference and just calling it a "Tactical Ballroom" to highlight the ridiculousness of it all. Because, as we all know, one of the major lessons of warfare is your first order to business when in a forward area is to build a series of tactical ballrooms in order to secure the area.
At the rate Trump is physically and mentally decompensating, I doubt he will be alive in 2028 and if he is, he won't remember where he lives.
Oh, well in that case never mind.
His sycophants and enablers will prop and pump him up as long as they possibly can. The last remaining shred of thought that Trump will hold onto is the conviction that wherever he lives is the center of the universe.
We aren't that lucky.
It's not a matter of luck. It's karma. I laughed and laughed at the coverage of Trump's PGA golf tournament at Doral. The one with the 20 million dollar purse and 15ft statue of Trump put up to welcome all the fans. No one showed. Estimate of crowd on Friday was 100 people. Karma is a beeotch.
Really? How delicious!
I've been commenting on this for some time.... he does not plan on leaving and believes he will be safe in his ballroom fortress from any effort to remove him. That is why he is so desperate to get it done before 2028.
I hear you Cassandra! But can we get anyone’s attention?
Well we all know someone else whose days ended ingloriously in a bunker.
Back when he was enthused about having a military parade in DC, it occurred to me that he might as Commander-in-Chief order the troops to stick around and shield him from being turned out of office.
I’m heartened at least that he’s never tried to overthrow the government in the past so maybe I’m just being wildly cynical.
Ordering the FBI to investigate a reporter who said the director drinks too much sounds like something a drunk FBI director would do.
So I went on Bluesky and pretty quickly got a gift link to that Atlantic article. It was quite an enjoyable read. I mean, I can't do anything about what's in the article or anything, but if you like nasty details about people trying to destroy us, it's fun. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop thinking that the FBI agents voted MAGA in overwhelming numbers.
Hope they're enjoying touching the stove, then.
And you've got to love the story about Kash toting around bottles of personally branded whiskey to bestow on people.
At least he had the sense not to use Trump wine. :)
You know (takes breath, tries not to rant) I sure wish one of these articles about how our President is so opposed to alcohol, what a Boy Scout he is, could mention that he owns a vineyard and sells wine.
And/or a super insecure one
For your mornings amusement and amazement, you really should read Sarah Fitzpatrick’s latest bombshell on Ka$h Patel’s, his spelling, boozy gifts he’s been handing out. It will have your jaw scrapping the floor of the locker room at the Milan olympics where apparently a bottle of his personalized bourbon was left after partying with our winning hockey team. Our dear FBI has no drinking problem, but has bis own personalized Bourbon bottles with his name and title as FBI director which he has been handing out as gifts to various people including FBI staff and at official FBI functions. The Atlantic even has photos of a bottle they acquired from an unarmed recipient in Las Vegas. It is the sort of shit you could never make up. And yet Comey with his seashells are much more damaging to this country.
For anyone who doesn't have a subscription: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/?gift=6ICK1NhO1tuSUNO7V_Ru-vJpuuQ3VvaXsQFGOCPOh3E&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share.
You gotta hand it to Sarah, as Heather CR wrote this morning:
"Ron Filipkowski of MeidasNews noted: 'The journalist who is being sued by Kash Patel and reportedly being investigated by the FBI is out with a new story. Is there a Pulitzer for being a fearless badass? If so, she should win it.'”
Shots across the bow from Ms. Fitzpatrick. This should make the incompetent, bumbling Ka$h realize the volcano may be about to blow.
The Atlantic is not going to give in.
The Bulwark should give Sarah Fitzpatrick the "1st Annual Bulwark Badass Award" in the shape of a big, gold middle finger salute. The award would be presented by JVL wearing his new pro wrestling-style Webby Award belt in a WWE-style event because, of course it would be.
Thanks! I'm sure DJT doesn't especially care that Ka$h is doing some grifting here. After all, grifting is for DJT and some select billionaire friends. ( not a drunken nimcompoop like Patel)
Only if Ka$h is willing to share the profits. This is my theory of what happened to Kristi and Core, they didn't share.
I laughed out loud when I saw that bottle. It's nice to know that Ka$h is taking his responsibilities as FBI director seriously during a time of war.
Definitely the kind of gift that says "Drinking problem? Who, me?" Definitely the kind of gift that says, "I don't have any friends and I perpetually drink alone. Will you be my friend?"
I also love that The Atlantic put this out while there is reporting out there that Fitzpatrick is under a criminal investigation by the FBI, and while Patel is suing them for $250 million. They will not be intimidated by Patel's boobs in the Federal Bureau of Incompetence.
As the saying goes, if the world knows you by your personalized liquor bottles, you might have a drinking problem.
Ha! I'm pretty sure that one is in Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, somewhere in his section on, "You Might Be a Redneck if...."
This should give him pause as to what other pieces of rotten meat might burble up from the swamp. By picking at the scab, Ms. Fitzpatrick has exposed the gusher below.
As I said earlier, I couldn't stop thinking as I read that the FBI agents voted for this. In overwhelming numbers.
Stove touching at its finest. At least this provides a way they can drown their sorrows.
ha! I posted the same thing before reading your comment. JVL has sunk his worldview into all of us!
Credit to Sarah as well who talks about stove touching quite a bit.
Just when a guy is getting traction that he's not an alcoholic...this. Doh!
Comey sells sea shells down by the sea shore. :)
It isn’t just Trump who sees himself as owning everything in America (and maybe the world) it is Republicans. Republicans are claiming ownership of America. Period. They believe they have a divine right to everything in this country and that it is theirs to do with as they please. Trump is nothing more than their chosen avatar. Their champion to wage war on everything they hate and build the temples that MAGA can worship at.
30% of the country wants to own the other 70%. Those are the facts of who our fellow Americans are.
I would say the there is an oligarchy numbering much less than 30% who want to own the country and that they are using MAGA diehard populism as a lever.
You're both correct!
Being a born and bred Washingtonian, I know FIRST hand the RAT problem in DC. A big gaping hole next to the White House will be a gold edged invitation for the rats to take up residence. Fitting. Sums up the administration’s to a tee! 🐀🐀🐀
Is there really any room for more?
It would be hilarious if the rats decide to move en masse into the White House. They can exchange pizza and infected fleas with Stephen Miller.
OMG my coworkers and I were discussing the hantavirus cruise ship.
Her: "You know those cruise ships are filled with rats and mice that live on the ship full time, right?"
Me: "Oh. Oh yeah. OH."
Her: "Aren't you the first one to remind us that city buildings are all rat havens?"
Me: "I forgot ships are too!"
Rats turn "cannabilistic" in overcrowding, so as long as trump has some ketchup, the rat problem should remain under control. He may not even need the ketchup--it is more effective splattered across the wall when you are throwing a tantrum.
If you do find yourself in a physical altercation with the President, beware of the tactical Florsheims. And beware the ankles concealed by his trademark stovepipe socks.
Just stick a pin in his gut and watch the balloon fizzle.
>> "Who do you think would win in a physical fight between you and Donald Trump?... It’s fun to imagine the struggle of the MAGA mind faced with this question, which sets two load-bearing pillars of the ideology against one another—who’s a bigger alpha-male he-man, me or the president? For our part, though, we think the median Republican is selling himself short on this one."
My go to theory for the MAGA base is that they don't really listen directly to Trump, or watch him, they get their dose of Trumpism filtered through favorable, propagandistic coverage. I was in a beach store in Daytona on a trip, and they had T-Shirts with Trump's face on Rambo's body from Rambo: First Blood Part II. They picture Trump as a Rambo-like, ur-masculine figure. I think they literally do not see Trump not as a frail, bruised, overweight octogenarian but some sort of superman. And that maybe explains how anyone could seriously think they'd somehow lose a fight to a guy who claims he gets bruises from shaking hands.
There is a photo of Trump in golf shirt and red hat, sans makeup, standing in the middle of a room at one of his golf courses, as people mill around & pay no attention to him. He looks so pale and lost. We should start wearing it on t shirts, with the caption, “You’re afraid of THAT?”.
It is pure projection. MAGA sees themselves as Rambo, but because they cannot put themselves above their godking, they must live their projection through Trump. They are forgiving Trump for behavior that they themselves would engage in if not for those pesky laws.
I think this is right. They don't watch the news. They have no idea what Trump says. They see memes on X and call themselves informed.
It's not really about physical fitness. Trump would lose every fight, because he is a coward. This is a guy who has had personal security around him since he was 6 years old. He talks big, because he never has to do the fighting. If he got punched in the nose for real, Trump would fall to his knees and whimper like a baby.
Can we skip ahead to the "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair" part?
It is pretty hard to look at the ballroom plans and not think of the urge behind the building of the pyramids and countless other monuments to ego.
I always thought they'd try to get the ballroom funded with taxpayer dollars - it makes it much harder to sell tearing it down to the American public.
Has anyone calculated the HVAC bill for a 90,000 sq ft ballroom yet? How about maintenance, depreciation, cleaning, window washing, etc.? The operating costs were always going to fall on you and me.
Trump has never been properly punched in the face, which might explain a few of his problems.
I'd be a wealthy man if I had a nickel for every time I've thought that.
The only punches he has ever thrown is when he dances to YMCA.
Bill is 💯
"When a president who believes in democracy and republicanism succeeds Trump, he or she can restore an appropriate East Wing to the people’s White House. For now, we can fight to stop the ballroom. If this means leaving the area immediately east of the White House as a construction site—or rather, a destruction site—for the remainder of Trump’s presidency, so be it. Let its ugliness exemplify the ugliness of the Trump era. Let its rubble symbolize what he has tried to do to the American republic."
Well said, Bill!
Gold-star piece again, Bill.
Not everyone's a fan of Bill's writing I suppose, but I am. Especially good is his mock Trump stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness) writing, as it's diametrically opposed to Bill's thought processes.
He maybe Mr. Chaos but DJT is the most predictable person in the world.
"In any case, the area has been a construction site for six months now, and the presidency has been able to function."
This is functioning??? Help me understand what dysfunction would look like. The mind boggles.
The Trump Administration is functioning, quite well. It's just an organized crime syndicate, not a presidency.
I mean that literally, not figuratively.
Math is not my strong suit, so I'll ask someone to explain the calculation of this to me:
How is it that we (via DOGE) did not have money for helping sick people around the world, with communicable diseases that could endanger all of us in the United States, among many other things deemed wasteful spending, yet we can pony up one billion dollars of taxpayer money for a ballroom that benefits (and will be used by) exactly none of us?
Does ... not ... compute.
As my Garmin GPS used to say when it was similarly lost...sums it up pretty well:
Recalculating....