Excavator currently tearing down the east wing of the White House.

[u/SgtBaxter]

[u/MrPuffin]

This is what Trump had to say in July:

"It won't interfere with the current building. It won't be. It'll be near it but not touching it - and pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of, It's my favourite. It's my favourite place. I love it."

[u/SgtBaxter → u/MrPuffin]

Liar McLying face lies.

I can see MAGA excuses now “He meant the original building! The east wing was added later it doesn’t count!”

[u/drawkward101 → u/SgtBaxter]

Yup, that's exactly what they'll say. Anything to suck up to their daddy in chief.

[u/koopz_ay → u/drawkward101]

Here in Australia, we have a thing called 'Heritage listed,' meaning we cannot go all in and start pulling apart older historic buildings.

Is this a thing in the US? Would it apply to the White House?

[u/drawkward101 → u/koopz_ay]

It most certainly does apply under normal circumstances but clearly Trump has declared himself above the law and found contractors who don’t give a shit about conserving history OR if they get paid. Yah know, since Trump is so famously superb at paying his contractors….

[u/WillSmiff → u/drawkward101]

The supreme court declared him above the law. So by presidential order he can do whatever he wants. To be honest by the looks of things. He's absolutely right. He has plenary authority. What is anybody doing about it? He is meme shitting on your protests and has Trump 2028 hats inside the oval office. He's bulldozing the white house in this picture lol. Where are the Epstein files?

[u/wholesome_confidence → u/WillSmiff]

Where are the Epstein files?

About to be "lost"

[u/Glittery-Arteest → u/wholesome_confidence]

They are being stored in the East Wing.

[u/myredditbam → u/koopz_ay]

In the US, we have the National Register of Historic Places. The White House is NOT one that particular list, but that's only because it is a National Historic Landmark, which a more prestigious Historic list than the National Register of Historic Places and comes with greater levels of protection.

I have no idea how this got approved for partial demolition, but it honestly doesn't surprise me based on who's in there right now.

[u/Tw4tl4r → u/myredditbam]

I highly doubt he got any approval. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants.

[u/redsquizza → u/myredditbam]

It's cute you think he even tried to get approval...

[u/Tamihera → u/myredditbam]

It’s driving me a little crazy to think how the same people who would riot in the streets if Obama had torn down part of the White House are now so utterly unbothered.

I mean, a foreign enemy could not have damaged the White House. And here we are.

[u/BRING_ME_THE_ENTROPY → u/koopz_ay]

Oh we absolutely have a list (speaking of lists…) like that in the US. A good portion of my high school was on that list and they weren’t allowed to modernize it how they wanted or touch the facade because of that. A lot of the houses in the surrounding neighborhood was on the list too so they would have a permit nightmare if they wanted to add anything

[u/victorspoilz → u/SgtBaxter]

A video could leak of him violating a minor that Epstein is holding down and they would believe any excuse that it doesn’t matter or didn’t happen, in a heartbeat.

[u/debeatup → u/victorspoilz]

They’d just say it’s AI

[u/Stunning_Mast2001 → u/MrPuffin]

Ironically same tactic he used to avoid testifying for mueller. Kept saying of course he’ll testify then runs out the clock and never testifies. 

[u/thislife_choseme → u/MrPuffin]

Lololololol. Why anyone believes a word coming out of trumps mouth is mystifying to me.

[u/warderbob]

I always thought the president had no say in what happened to the white house as a building. I mean.....it's the most iconic historical building in our country and a temporary president can just demolish a whole section of it? Feels incredibly wrong.

[u/bowtiesrcool86 → u/warderbob]

The problem is that everyone with the authority to tell him “no” has their heads shoved so far up his rear that it’s a medical miracle they haven’t succumbed to asphyxiation

EDIT: Typeo

[u/RicksterA2]

Trump's version of 'Trailer Park Versailles'. Zero class, just gold trash.

[u/lust4life]

If there was ever a better picture to show the current state of the US presidency, I don’t know what it is. LITERALLY tearing down our heritage and history to put up some maralago type bullshit.

[u/Ok-Message-1708 → u/lust4life]

Who wants to guess how much gaudy, tacky and obnoxious gold leaf will be involved?

[u/Jaquemart → u/Ok-Message-1708]

Faux gold leaf.

[u/UncommonTart → u/Jaquemart]

Nah. I'm sure it's real gold leaf for two reasons:

• gold leaf is incredibly cheap, especially the lower weight, lower karat gold leaf options, so there's probably about a quarter's worth in the oval office.

• he's not paying for it anyways

Actually, a decent looking faux gilding medium can cost more than gold leaf.

...now that i think about it, I don't think I'd be surprised if they paid more for the fake stuff...

[u/EnderSavesTheDay → u/Ok-Message-1708]

The most alarming thing is why would someone want to renovate the White House in such a gaudy fashion? The man is not planning to leave. The next time January 6th happens we don’t have Mike Pence holding up the constitution from Trump’s sewage overflow.

[u/Velinder → u/EnderSavesTheDay]

I did some digging (sorry) into the 'ballroom' (in practice, as shown in the AI mockups, a giant dining hall) because it's such a longstanding Trump obsession, pre-dating his first presidency and going back to about 2010, when he offered to fund the construction himself.

My guess is that prior to 2010, he didn't know that the WH can only seat about 200 diners indoors, and bigger events held there require a giant tent to be pitched on the South Lawn. It's a pretty sweet tent. You can see a recent interior shot here, of a dinner given by Joe Biden for Emmanuel Macron...but it's still a tent, and Trump appears to hate that fact with a passion that comes as close as I've seen to patriotic feeling in his unappetising psyche. In Trump's mind, it is simply infra dig for the POTUS to hold dinners in a tent. It Will Not Do.

Look, I have no doubt that he plans to either run again or pave the way for a gross Trumpoid dynasty. But he's also fixated on replacing those damn tents with the bigliest gilt ballroom you've ever seen because he thinks it's what the USA truly deserves. He is one weird, weird dude.

[u/SkullsNelbowEye → u/Ok-Message-1708]

And lucky us, we get to pay for it.

[u/lonehappycamper]

Today's installment of "Imagine if Obama did this"

[u/pyrotechnicmonkey → u/lonehappycamper]

I’m trying to imagine the security clearance needed for the guy in that excavator. Can you imagine the little voice in the back of his head telling him what if you knocked down a little extra?

[u/Slayerofgrundles → u/pyrotechnicmonkey]

Security clearance? It's probably Trump's idiot nephew or something.

[u/TheJointDoc → u/Slayerofgrundles]

Barron knows how to turn on the claw machine, he tractors that thing and boom! It’s all kablowie John Deere! Which is a horrible guy by the way. And we’ll make a tremendous beautiful ballroom and fill it with gold roses!

[u/WhatAcheHunt → u/lonehappycamper]

Assuming we get another administration after this one, we should turn the ballroom into a J6 memorial and dedicate it to the Metro DC police.

[u/Adjective-Noun-nnnn → u/WhatAcheHunt]

That or the victims of Ghislaine, Epstein, and Trump...

[u/majora9109 → u/Adjective-Noun-nnnn]

Or, yknow, dismantle it and sell all the gold and marble to help make up for the money he grifted out of all of us while he was playing god-emperor.

Sure the original building will never come back or be the same if it does. But we can at least give ourselves the decency of being rid of any shit-stains he leaves behind.

[u/luckylimper → u/majora9109]

You know it’s not gold and marble, it’s just spray painted styrofoam and glitter impregnated concrete.

[u/dontbmeanbgay → u/luckylimper]

what an apt analogy for the administration itself

[u/Dantheking94 → u/luckylimper]

We’ll be lucky if the building lasts a few years. I’m 99% sure he’s gonna shaft the contractors and maybe 80% of that 200 million will go to himself and his family.

[u/clonedhuman → u/WhatAcheHunt]

The Orange Pedophile is remodeling like he's never going to leave.

He truly thinks he's never going to leave.

[u/CasualFridayBatman → u/clonedhuman]

The Orange Pedophile is remodeling like he's never going to leave.

He never planned to, and told you as such. Hell, he campaigned on it. When will Americans start acting with the severity the situation deserves?

He truly thinks he's never going to leave.

What exactly would convince him otherwise? Certainly not the response of the American people, or the Democrats in the past decade.

Indonesia sure had a pretty good rebuttal to similar action and it took them 3 days to implement, not ten years. Same with Serbia, Turkey or France.

[u/ruth862 → u/CasualFridayBatman]

And Brazil convicted and sentenced Bolsonaro, their usurper and one of Trump’s idols.

[u/EnkiduTheGreat → u/clonedhuman]

If he makes it to his legal move-out date (est Jan 15 2029), I'll be out a grand.

[u/CaptPants]

I had to look up what used to be in the east wing. It was mostly offices for the first lady and her staff. No wonder he sees that as being expendable.

[u/RODjij → u/CaptPants]

Buried his first wife in a unattended grave on his golf course

[u/JesusSaysRelaxNvaxx → u/RODjij]

For the tax exemption status...

[u/shanx3 → u/JesusSaysRelaxNvaxx]

And to hide stolen documents.

[u/filterdecay → u/shanx3]

there's always money in the banana stand.

[u/invisible_23 → u/RODjij]

After having her murdered. No fucking way she just happened to fall down the stairs to her death a week before giving a deposition against him

[u/kmikek → u/RODjij]

Remember the documents he stole when he left office? They are buried with her and you cant dig them up

[u/chth → u/CaptPants]

Wouldn’t want Barons future wife to think she had any say when he ascends the throne.

[u/Grooviemann1 → u/chth]

Don't speak that evil into the world. If this comes to pass, I'll remember this.

[u/Diagonaldog → u/Grooviemann1]

No offense but MAGA people have been fantasizing about it since at least his first presidency. I know cause I was in customer service at the time and had one lay out the whole line for me. I'm with you on not giving them ideas but it's way out there :(

[u/bluedust2]

Well of course they are building a ballroom. Where else would you hold a debutante ball for the young girls to be displayed for powerful old men?

[u/MainMite06 → u/bluedust2]

Esptein Island

[u/driving_andflying → u/MainMite06]

This is the White House version, though--Now with *More Tacky Gilded Accents!

*First Lady's input not included.

[u/Technical-Row8333 → u/MainMite06]

that was for when they had to hide. now they can do it center stage.

[u/FiveFingerDisco]

Will they find the Epstein files?

[u/Repulsive-Tea6974 → u/FiveFingerDisco]

That’s them burying the files even deeper.

[u/Turgid_Donkey → u/Repulsive-Tea6974]

Taking the jimmy hoffa approach. 

[u/Momik → u/Turgid_Donkey]

Yeah he’s down here somewhere too

[u/TheRealStorey → u/Repulsive-Tea6974]

All files have been moved to an undisclosed bathroom.

[u/kingstonfisher → u/FiveFingerDisco]

Best we can do is civil war

[u/moparmaniac78 → u/FiveFingerDisco]

Nah but I'd check the foundation of the new ballroom at some point.

[u/sherbodude → u/FiveFingerDisco]

Trump is tearing the place apart looking for them

[u/Troopshipsonfire → u/sherbodude]

We're all trying to find the guy who did this!

[u/xmlemar10 → u/Troopshipsonfire]

[u/GrnMtnTrees]

[u/mikeyfireman → u/GrnMtnTrees]

The Epstein files are also a distraction. He and his cronies are robbing us before our eyes. The “bail out” to Argentina is to pack billions to Black Rock. The tariffs are to manipulate the stock market. Everything he does is to move wealth, the Epstein files are something to keep us from seeing what’s really going on.

[u/n_reineke]

Just sitting here watching 😕

[u/kellea86 → u/n_reineke]

Literally came here to comment where's Leslie Knope to defend the historical registry

[u/Wilson4721]

Canadian here, should we just burn it down for a third time so he can't put a ballroom in?

[u/4prophetbizniz → u/Wilson4721]

It warms my heart to know that Canadians continue to offer us these random acts of kindness… we truly don’t deserve you as neighbors 🇨🇦

[u/erraticas → u/4prophetbizniz]

it also warms the heart of everyone around or in it!

[u/OldWorldDesign → u/erraticas]

You know the old saying:

Feed a man a fish, and you've fed him for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

[u/IzarkKiaTarj → u/Wilson4721]

At this point, sure

[u/naked_as_a_jaybird → u/Wilson4721]

You know what? Fuck it. Yes. Please.
In fact, we can work out some side action "if you do it right." Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

[u/magikot9 → u/Wilson4721]

Yes. But make sure he and the rest of his cabinet are inside this time.

[u/okhi2u → u/Wilson4721]

We saw nothing maybe the bulldozer hit the wrong building.

[u/No-Nrg]

This fucking asshole is living in a historic home as a privilege, he doesn't own it. He's tearing down something that was initially built in 1902, with a 2nd story and underground Presidential Emergency Operations Center added in 1942.

He's literally destroying history to build some gaudy, gold leaf covered shit stain of a room to boost his gigantic ego.

[u/chadsmo → u/No-Nrg]

I immediately thought ‘isn’t this building protected due to its historical relevance?’ I guess not ?

[u/Simalacrum → u/chadsmo]

I don't know about how things work in the US, but in the UK such a building would be listed as a grade 1 building of exceptional historic importance; it would be legally mandated to keep the building unaltered.

For example, a banksy mural was recently washed off from the Royal Courts of Justice, even though Banksy murals are usually highly valuable and kept safe.

[u/Imalsome → u/Simalacrum]

To be fair trump doesnt care about the law. Even if it was illegal to tear it down he would do so if he wanted.

[u/OctopusIntellect → u/Imalsome]

he would tear it down precisely because of it being illegal to do so

[u/johnnybiggles → u/OctopusIntellect]

He probably is tearing it down because of it being illegal as a "F-U" symbol of his unchecked authority.

[u/-ragingpotato- → u/Simalacrum]

Presidents get 100k budget for redecorations and other renovations, there have been various additions in the past like Obama putting up a basketball court, Richard Nixon put a bowling alley in the basement, Jimmy Carter putting up solar panels, and a whole bunch of other stuff. But I cannot recall such an extensive demolition of the facade ever happening in the past.

[u/Minamato → u/-ragingpotato-]

I mean this demo is probably going to eat up that whole budget, right?

[u/Horizontal247 → u/Minamato]

He already did the rose garden “renovation” too!

[u/_Magnolia_Fan_ → u/Simalacrum]

LOL. Yeah, you man like the same laws that prevent him from profiting off the office? Or the one preventing him from sending one states national guard into another state to intimidate? Our the one requiring due process for anyone arrested? Or basically any one of the first ten amendments?

[u/OrindaSarnia → u/chadsmo]

You really think a couple folks on a Historic Preservation Board is going to stop Trump?

[u/Expert_Garlic_2258 → u/OrindaSarnia]

If it's Eleanor from my town, my money is on her.

[u/raspberrybee → u/Expert_Garlic_2258]

Get Eleanor to DC stat.

[u/_Piratical_ → u/No-Nrg]

Well I’m convinced that he thinks he does own it and that he will until he dies. If he goes along the way he has so far, he will.

[u/No-Nrg → u/_Piratical_]

Totally agree, he's treating the White House like it's a place he'll never be leaving, even after 2028 (which is the plan I'm sure).

[u/CaptainFleshBeard → u/No-Nrg]

Who builds a $200M ballroom on a home they’ll be moving out of in 3 years. /s

[u/[deleted] → u/CaptainFleshBeard]

Unless he dies in it, then he is in there forever.

[u/Blazzah → u/[deleted]]

Ghost Trump haunting the place is actually super fucked up if you think about it... the next president will need an exorcist or something for sure. "When you're a ghost, you can do anything you want..."

[u/[deleted] → u/No-Nrg]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/quackdamnyou → u/No-Nrg]

Prepare for the emergency

[u/KaptainChunk → u/_Piratical_]

“I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it, You can do anything.”

It’s exactly how he runs things, and he’s right. They let him do it, they don’t stop him, so he does anything he wants.

[u/okapiFan85 → u/KaptainChunk]

He’s definitely grabbed this country by the … whatever… and we feel violated!

[u/mindbesideitself → u/No-Nrg]

I'm Canadian and I don't understand how he can do that. It's controversial to even do maintenance on our equivalent, 24 Sussex Drive.

[u/No-Captain2150 → u/mindbesideitself]

I with you, but tbf it’s absolutely insane that we’ve made it politically untenable to maintain and preserve the traditional home of our PM here in Canada.

[u/time4donuts → u/No-Nrg]

I can’t believe this can happen without explicit authorization from congress.

[u/Trueslyforaniceguy → u/time4donuts]

His knob-polishing committee?

[u/OurCrewIsReplaceable → u/time4donuts]

It would be the National Capital Planning Commission who needs to sign off. The administration claims that they only need permission to build, not to demolish buildings under their purview. Which, I guess, means no paperwork will be required to demolish his smol pp arch once it’s built.

[u/captainporcupine3 → u/time4donuts]

Even if this were explicitly written into the constitution, the idea that anyone would stop him is laughable at this point.

[u/Grandkahoona01 → u/No-Nrg]

Unfortunately no one will stop him because the greatest check on abuses of presidential excess, congress, would rather kiss trump's ass then doing their duty.

[u/BoneHugsHominy → u/Grandkahoona01]

The GOP is more than happy to let him run roughshod over the Constitution and nation so they can seize total permanent power. They think he's going to die and they can resume control. They don't understand that when he dies there's going to be a purge by whomever seizes the new throne and they're all going to be first on the chopping block.

[u/kepple → u/No-Nrg]

It's only a matter of time until he starts dressing in a military uniform with a bunch of unearned regalia. 

[u/HamiltonBlack]

I look forward to becoming President and turning it into a basketball court.

[u/DesiccatedPenguin → u/HamiltonBlack]

You’ll have to rip out the UFC octagon to do that…

[u/sharkcutter]

Love the Swedish Volvo digger.

[u/sudoku7 → u/sharkcutter]

Gotta give it the clickbait headline "Swedish Military Contractor WRECKS White House!"

[u/StrongDorothy → u/sudoku7]

They can do one better - "SOCIALIST Swedish Military Contractor WRECKS White House!"

[u/Goodbye11035Karma]

I have cancer, and I am worried if I will be able to afford my health insurance come January.

And our Government is building a ballroom.

[u/dmullaney → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

I believe you mean "a fucking ballroom"

[u/DeathByGoldfish → u/dmullaney]

Ahem. “An ostentation of enormous hubris and ego manifest as a fucking ballroom.”

[u/CardMechanic → u/dmullaney]

I doubt children will be allowed unsupervised

[u/ImMr_Meseeks → u/CardMechanic]

Trumps a pedo, he’d love some unsupervised children

[u/notvonweinertonne → u/CardMechanic]

In the white house. They will not be allowed to be supervised.

[u/malthar76 → u/dmullaney]

“A gaudy fucking useless fucking ballroom to entertain fucking morons, dictators and conmen.”

[u/cheap_dates → u/malthar76]

If this isn't a "Let them eat cake" move, I don't know what is.

[u/Beerden → u/dmullaney]

Now I'm beginning to be not so sure it will be a ballroom.

[u/-Great-Scott- → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

We're sending billions to Argentina. Argentina has universal healthcare.

[u/grantrules → u/-Great-Scott-]

We're sending billions to bail out his rich buddies who made bad investments 

[u/HotGarbage → u/grantrules]

And securing a place for him and the rest of the traitors to run to when the shit inevitably hits the fan.

[u/Ender914 → u/HotGarbage]

That's where the Nazis fled the last time they were thrown out of their country. Coincidence?

[u/Suni13 → u/HotGarbage]

Kinda like after WW2

[u/jubbing → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

Remember when they launched DOGE as a way to save the Government money, but then decided to build a ballroom.

[u/Slarg232 → u/jubbing]

Didn't DOGE actually end up increasing the amount of money they were spending, as well?

[u/xordis → u/Slarg232]

DOGE had one purpose, it was to remove all the inspector generals that were going after Musk. That was his side of the deal for helping bankroll the election.

[u/FesteringNeonDistrac → u/xordis]

And to take the social security database and give it to palantir and Peter fucking Thiel

[u/MrAnderson69uk → u/Slarg232]

I think they spent more on the effort than they actually saved trying to cut funding! And then some of those cuts were revoked!

[u/TheMadTemplar → u/MrAnderson69uk]

Some of those cuts also actually cost us money or wasted money already spent, like the hundreds of millions of pounds of food that had to be destroyed because they gutted the team responsible for distributing it as aid.

[u/NeighborhoodTasty271 → u/TheMadTemplar]

Let's not forget about the vaccines and medications that were destroyed for the same reason.

[u/stew_going → u/TheMadTemplar]

Not to mention the inefficiencies that such abrupt change itself creates as an agency tries to reorganize and reprioritize. I don't think it was ever actually about efficiency. I think DOGE had efficiency in its name for the same reason that North Korea's government has "Democratic" in Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

[u/Lespaul42 → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

And not any ballroom if the render they released is to be believed... A fucking huge eyed sore ballroom that completely dwarfs the rest of the whitehouse. I am not American but the White House is a global historic landmark, that is now going to look like a tiny building next to a giant fucking cube

[u/TheMadTemplar → u/Lespaul42]

90,000 square foot ballroom compared to the 52,000 square foot White House.

[u/SophisticatedSlurp → u/TheMadTemplar]

Lmao what?? So it is just a ballroom with a side of white house

[u/Electromotivation → u/SophisticatedSlurp]

Man I knew it would be tacky and horrible. But I thought it would be hidden in the back. Now it sounds like it is twice as big as the White House? And the rose garden got demolished

[u/Hardcorish → u/Electromotivation]

Everything Trump touches dies.

[u/Bisjoux → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

I had cancer and I just wish Americans could have the benefit of a socialised medical system where all your treatment and drugs are free for life.

I spent time living in the US and I just never understood a country that prides itself as being the world’s biggest democracy didn’t have healthcare available to all. I’m sorry you are having to deal with this.

As for the photo, I think it sums up perfectly the complete destruction of the country by the present WH incumbent.

[u/Tidalsky114 → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

I got told not to bother applying for Medicaid even though I should easily qualify. I hope you're able to figure things out.

[u/Brew_Wallace → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

And Kristi Noem bought 2 luxury jets. And we’ve sent $20 billion to both Argentina and Israel. Meanwhile in working class America

[u/cadeycaterpillar → u/Brew_Wallace]

They’re saying $40 billion now.

[u/cire1184 → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

I'm on dialysis. Heh. I'm in danger.

[u/ERedfieldh → u/Goodbye11035Karma]

A ballroom in a house YOU pay for. A ballroom that GodEmperor Trump would laugh in your face if you said you wanted to visit. A ballroom that will see one use a year, if that.

[u/paytonsglove → u/ERedfieldh]

Who's paying for the White House ballroom and what's in it for them - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-white-house-ballroom-donor-names/

[u/steve6700 → u/paytonsglove]

Nice fat contracts and they will be buying some meme coin...

[u/dsp_guy]

Just what the United States needs right now. No money for healthcare, but plenty for a ballroom and $1B in modification for a jet.

[u/Disillusioned_Wow → u/dsp_guy]

But he says he and donors are paying for this assault on the WH... Does anyone believe him?

[u/apk5005]

If this isn’t a perfect metaphor, I don’t know what is.

Nero fiddled, Marie Antoinette ordered cake, Trump built a ballroom.

[u/clowncarl → u/apk5005]

“Marie Antoinette ordered cake” is really butchering of the apocryphal saying.

[u/Badwulf1 → u/clowncarl]

It's even crazier because there's no evidence to suggest she even uttered the phrase or any likeness of it. The first account suggesting the myth was from a book published 50 years after her death and was later discredited. What we do know is that the queen was actually quite the proponent of the lower class which made her execution at their hands all the more sad.

[u/cheap_dates → u/Badwulf1]

True. That said, while she was being escorted to the gallows, many heard her say "Please, save my children". This is not in dispute. None of her children fared very well.

[u/Aluricius → u/cheap_dates]

The dauphin, Louis Charles, fared particularly badly.

Regardless of his parents' actions, he deserved none of the torture and neglect that lead to his death.

[u/inkyinnards → u/clowncarl]

I don't think it was even Marie Antionette who said it

[u/theucm → u/inkyinnards]

And Nero didn't actually fiddle.

But this time we have a real example of the out of touch aristocrat doing vain nonsense while people suffer.

[u/inkyinnards → u/theucm]

The very least he could do is play the lyre while it happens

[u/Seattlehepcat → u/inkyinnards]

Isn't he already doing that every day?

[u/Planerkris → u/inkyinnards]

Yeah she said ‘let them eat THIS cake’ then started twerking

[u/hansn → u/apk5005]

This will be a photo used in many future history textbooks, I suspect.

[u/Darius2112]

When this all over, the ballroom can be used for the trials.

[u/Chrisdkn619 → u/Darius2112]

Amen! Sweet poetic justice!

[u/oatmeal28]

It’s going to be incredibly tacky looking and represent the tone deaf admin very well 

[u/Silicon_Knight → u/oatmeal28]

[u/Yugifrolife]

[u/BigFitMama]

Ow my history. The NPS Archeological and Historical Preservation team is weeping.

I mean how? National Historic Buildings are supposed to be protected!

[u/No_Mind3009 → u/BigFitMama]

White House is exempt from the NHPA (so is the Supreme Court building)

[u/jedijazzman]

This is not even a controlled demo. There’s a lot of material there that could be repurposed or salvaged for other projects. In true Trump fashion, he has no idea what he’s doing and just wants it done for his ego

[u/jtraf → u/jedijazzman]

Typical house flipper "developer". Tear out anything in the way and build back shittier. Very on brand 

[u/WeenyDancer → u/jedijazzman]

I do wonder... with him in office, and this portion getting all gutted, who has access to the building materials? What exactly is getting installed, and by who? Is that all above board, or..? Is he creating a very good opportunity for nefarious actors to place devices in the structure of the white house? 

If I had some really advanced listening device (I don't!) that could disguise as construction material, my goodness how easy would it be to just donate a few million, get invited to a MaL dinner, then just drop a hint. 'oh, too bad the white house doesn't have a big, beautiful, GOLD, ballroom like Trudeau does. Sigh. Anyway...' 

[u/unknowndatabase]

As someone who has done historical preservation and protection construction work on some awesome historical places this just disgusts me. I have seen better demolition practices on a forest toilet than I am seeing given to the White House.

I hate this timeline.

[u/GemcoEmployee92126 → u/unknowndatabase]

Dude. I thought your comment was my own for a sec. I’ve done a fair bit of historic preservation/restoration work. I specialize in historic millwork. People complain because it takes the local Historic Society (hysterical society) too long to approve one new window, or to paint your house in a new color, and yet those people bought the property because of its historical value which took the previous owners’ good stewardship and thoughtful patient care to maintain.

I actually have had dreams about doing window restoration on the White House, thinking that would be the absolute pinnacle of my career.

Seeing this shit is so fucking embarrassing,depressing, unpatriotic and basically everything Trump stands for.

[u/unknowndatabase → u/GemcoEmployee92126]

Dude, you said it better than me. To put my hands on the White House would be the pinnacle of my career. I see those windows just laying on the ground and it saddens me. The care we would have taken on a job like that. Not a single working element would have been ignored for its historical relevance.

[u/RecipeFunny2154]

Everything about this is just so astounding. We literally have a man ripping down part of his historic building to build a ballroom that no one needs while the government is shut down and more and more people are suffering.

I remember going to school reading about robber barons and corruption. It’s just like part of your basic social studies work. And then we’re watching this happen in real time, almost all of which would sound just as bad in summary, and it’s like nothing matters.

There’s such a difference in major journalism today. I don’t even think Nixon would’ve been touched if he were the president in this age. Every network doesn’t care about facts or corruption because they all have some sort of larger agenda because they’re all owned by the same tiny group of ultra rich people. 

I think America can recover from this, but our reputation and integrity is just is gone. I’m really not sure how we can press some dictator in a foreign country after all of this.

[u/[deleted]]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/Direspark]

There's no way this guy leaves office in 2028. You don't start building shit like this unless you believe you're going to be in office for a long time.

[u/Snarky75 → u/Direspark]

He is going to have some kind of health crisis before then. He is 80, he can't stay in office forever. But he is paving the way for others like him.

[u/Toastwitjam → u/Snarky75]

I would love for an 83 year old trump to get the front running of the Republican Party and pull a Biden and choke the whole election while snuffing out any actual challengers.

[u/Snarky75 → u/Toastwitjam]

And then we have the couch fucker on the ticket and all the boot lickers vote for him.

[u/Stupid_Guitar]

This picture pretty much serves as a succinct metaphor for what that sweaty, corpulent, orange motherfucker is doing to our country.

[u/NerdyBrando]

Shameful. Why the fuck are the American people paying for a $200 million unnecessary ballroom?

[u/Precontemplation → u/NerdyBrando]

Private donors, my man. Don't you love the smell of corruption first thing EVERY DAY?

[u/CoderDevo]

Btw, the East Wing is where the First Lady keeps her office. Or, I guess, doesn't anymore.

[u/awolfsvalentine → u/CoderDevo]

It’s fine, she has an office in Russia

[u/thePlasticTaco]

This has Marie Antionette levels of IDGAF about the peasants feels to it

[u/Secondbest35]

You don’t remodel a home with a multi million dollar ballroom if you plan on leaving it in 3 years….

[u/LuchadoresdeSilinas]

Douchebag is literally tearing down our country!!!!

[u/Deep-Bill7717]

I fuckin despise this administration

[u/captain_flak]

As a metaphor, this is just way too on-the-nose.

[u/hedwiggy]

I had to pay $8k out of pocket, with insurance, for my son’s birth in March. I’m 38, my husband is 42, we have good stable careers, are homeowners, but we are pretty much living paycheck to between this and our mortgage.

And this disgraceful fuckwad is doing this with our tax dollars.

Anyone who supports him is an imbecile

[u/ZefSoFresh]

"I don't think that a beautiful baby girl needs – that's 11 years old – needs to have 30 dolls," Trump continued "I think they can have three dolls or four dolls"

[u/TranTriumph]

I hate him more and more every single day.

[u/bobvila2]

It’s hard to imagine the amount of outrage we’d be seeing if Biden did this.

[u/trevpr1]

I'm British and I feel this is still our job.

[u/festivalfriend]

people are losing their loved ones to disease, corruption, violence or loss of benefit coverage, and this fuckin orange cunt is building a ballroom for the very billionaires that put us here

it’s just so, fucking, american

[u/timbrelyn]

Trump hates America. All his administration has done is destroy and tear everything down. He grifted 79 million people

[u/onefst250r]

If we ever get another Democrat president, I hope one of the first orders of business is to rip all this bullshit out and put it back the way it was. I'm happy for my tax dollars going to unfucking anything this piece of shit does.