Dems, liberals lose their minds over Trump’s White House renovations
Of all the things to get really, really mad at President Donald Trump about, Democrats are going with — White House renovations?
Yes, the president’s decision to add a ballroom to the White House is actually being met with significant fury by liberals and Democrats, now that the construction is actually under way. An image of the White House being remodeled, which did necessitate a partial demolition of the East Wing’s façade, went viral on X yesterday, prompting a great many meltdowns.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote on X: “This is Trump’s presidency in a single photo: Illegal, destructive, and not helping you.”
Well known liberal social media personality Ron Filipkowski wrote: “This is a desecration and an abomination. First he posts an AI video of himself wearing a crown dumping s—t on the heads of Americans, then he starts tearing down part of the White House for his Mar-a-Lago style ballroom.”
Hillary Clinton got in on the game, too, writing: “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
Clinton’s outrage is particularly ironic, because, as journalist Salena Zito pointed out, every president makes changes to the décor and even the structure of the White House — and the Clintons were no different.
Yes, it’s true that the addition of the ballroom is more significant than anything Bill Clinton did, and it’s true that it has required a bit of demolition, but the part of the White House being demolished is the East Wing’s façade, which wasn’t even part of the original structure, and is being cleared away so that the White House can have a ballroom, which is a perfectly legitimate (and some have argued necessary) improvement. The president obviously would like to host larger events and currently has no means to do so. If a future president doesn’t like the style of the ballroom, well, they can change it. It happens.
In fact, let’s have a little history lesson. Teddy Roosevelt expanded and renovated the White House in 1902. FDR added a second story and a basement during his presidency in the 1930s. And then, from 1949 to 1952, Harry Truman comprehensively remodeled the White House, dismantling and rebuilding its interior. The building lost much of its architectural flavor at this point, and so when John F Kennedy came to the presidency, first lady Jackie Kennedy engaged in an extensive restoration process that made it fit the style of the early presidents.
Subsequent presidents have refurbished the first family’s living quarters. Richard Nixon even added a bowling lane.
In that spirit, Trump is adding to the grandeur of the White House. He’s not destroying it. He’s making room for larger state dinners, which currently have to sharply limit guests or serve people under tents.
And best of all, private donations are paying for the renovation — not the taxpayers! Seems like a good deal to me. And say what you will about Trump, but one thing the voters seem to like about him is that he values a good deal when it comes to real estate.
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.