The Democrats, or socialists, or whatever they are these days, are angry about President Donald Trump’s construction of a ballroom in the East Wing of the White House, and while this may be their dumbest freakout of the entire Trump era, it’s also telling.
The ladies of ABC’s “The View” were apoplectic when they saw footage of demolition, a fairly common way to begin renovation work, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They echoed former resident Hillary Clinton’s complaint that Trump doesn’t own the White House, and even joked about it.
A rendering from McCrery Architects, provided by the White House, of the exterior of the new ballroom. (White House)
What makes this argument so absurd is that Trump is not building this ballroom for his personal use or glory. It’s not a vanity project. It is a long-considered addition to an executive residence that lacked the capacity to host large indoor events.
Trump, as has always been his habit, is trying to create grandeur, and that seems to be something leftists reflexively object to.
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Trump is clearly not the first president to renovate the White House. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt built a swimming pool. His successor, President Harry Truman, virtually gutted the place to add a balcony. President Richard Nixon covered the pool, but added a bowling alley. Finally, President Barack Obama transformed the tennis court into a basketball court.
Keep in mind that these are all changes made to serve the personal taste or enjoyment of the respective president, much like a Roman emperor adding a water feature to his personal dining area.
What Trump does is completely different. The ballroom he is building will likely endure as a symbol of American power long after we are all gone. It will be, in a sense, our generation’s contribution to the people’s home.
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Trump wants this site, this symbol of America, to be grand and classically inspired, a timeless marble monument to the United States that emerged from the 20th century as the world’s sole superpower.
And in a sense, this is part of what the left is objecting to, not only regarding the White House project, but also Trump’s proposed new arch in Washington, DC, and large sculptures of American heroes, not to mention the recent massive military parade.
A rendering by McCrery Architects provided by the White House of the new ballroom. (The White House)
In the post-Cold War era, some of America’s international style and sensibility had to be underestimated. Like the star quarterback who is also a model and a chess prodigy, we have learned not to rub this in.
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At that time there was very little public art or architecture executed on a grand and classical scale, and in more recent times our society has been so determined to tear down statues and monuments that we gave little thought to putting them up.
Trump instinctively understands that America may still be the world’s sole superpower in 2025, but not with such a hegemonic distance as in the recent past. China and other countries have caught up, and the “aw, shucks” attitude of the past needs some adjustment.
World leaders, as well as those on public tours of the White House, should take their breath away when they walk into the presidential ballroom. Such displays are as old as the nations themselves, from the pyramids to the Colosseum, it is nothing to be ashamed of.
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While this expansion of the White House would certainly be worth taxpayers’ money, Trump has found a way to build it with both private donations and his own resources. The left still has an attack. Why?
The White House has started demolishing part of the East Wing to build the ballroom that President Donald Trump wants to add. Demolition started on Monday. (The associated press)
Recent polls showed that only 36% of Democrats are very, or even somewhat, proud of America. If this is the case, it is easy to understand why they object to building testimonies of its power and glory.
What Democrats and socialists really object to here is not that Trump’s ballroom celebrates itself, but that his ballroom unashamedly celebrates America.
Fifty years from now, when King George VII of Britain dines in the White House, people will have little memory that it was built by Trump, even if all the gold leaf remains. By then it will simply be a great piece of American architecture that we can all be proud of.
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Americans want and deserve a big, beautiful ballroom for their country’s executive mansion, and there has never been a president better able to make this happen than our real estate mogul.
Liberals can stamp their feet in anger all they want. But the ballroom will be built, and eventually most of them will come to appreciate it.
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