When Trump announced his plans for a gaudy ballroom in the White House, he promised he wouldn’t touch the East Wing.
“It’ll be views of the Washington Monument. It won’t interfere with the current building. It’ll be near it but not touching it,” the president said. “And pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
Now it has been discovered that he has ordered the demolition of the entire East Wing to make room for his $200 M ballroom.
After photos showed the destruction, Trump hit out defensively:
‘In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure,’ the president explained inside the Oval Office on Wednesday as he hit out at the photos that were released of the demolition.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation added to criticism, demanding a ‘freeze on further construction until a commission that oversees the iconic urban landscape of the nation’s capital is consulted.’
The demolition has prompted outrage not just from Democrats but also Republicans.
“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” said Hillary Clinton, the former first lady and the Secretary of State for President Barack Obama, posted on X.
“This is Trump’s presidency in a single photo,” wrote Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat, on X, above a picture showing roof tiles and windowpanes cascading from the facade of the wing, having fallen victim to the excavators’ jaws. “Illegal, destructive, and not helping you.”
Oh, and Trump announced on Wednesday that the ballroom is expected to cost $300 million — up from a previously estimated $200 million.
