At the White House, Trump's destructive impulses take a literal turn

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Trump’s critics have long accused him of being responsible for making a mess at the White House. Those assessments have now become literal.

In 1998, David Broder said of Clinton, “He came in here and he trashed the place — and it’s not his place.”

Trump is now
- demolishing the East Wing
- paving the Rose Garden
- adding gold throughout the Oval Office
- building a ballroom
- installing a flagpole
- tearing apart the Lincoln bathroom

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-10-21T13:05:05.802Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/white-house-trumps-destructive-impulses-take-literal-turn-rcna238839

In 1998, the late David Broder criticized Bill Clinton in a memorable way. “He came in here and he trashed the place — and it’s not his place,” the longtime Washington Post columnist said of the Democratic president.

Broder, of course, was being metaphorical about Clinton and his impact at the White House, but a generation later, the incumbent Republican president is actually trashing the place. The Washington Post reported:

Demolition crews on Monday began tearing down part of the White House to build President Donald Trump’s long-desired ballroom despite his pledge that construction of the $250 million addition wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing building. Construction teams were demolishing a portion of the East Wing, with a backhoe ripping through the structure, according to a photo shared with The Washington Post and two people who witnessed the activity and spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe it.

.....But destroying parts of the East Wing, as part of an effort to build a giant ballroom, took this campaign to a breathtaking new level.

Demolition of the facade of the White House’s East Wing has begun. The demo is so Trump can build his big ballroom that is reportedly costing 0 million.

(Video via Getty)

— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2025-10-21T12:36:38.120Z

....In 2009, Republicans whined that Barack Obama was being disrespectful to the White House and its institutional traditions because he was photographed not wearing a jacket in the Oval Office. Sixteen years later, Trump brought in a crew to start destroying the East Wing.

The symbolic significance is difficult to miss: An authoritarian president, acting at his own discretion, ignored his earlier vow and starting tearing down part of The People’s House — not because it was necessary, but because he has decided he wants a fancy ballroom to host parties for the elite.

All of this, of course, is predicated on Trump’s apparent assumption that the White House is his house. He’s not a temporary steward, hired to lead; he’s a power-hungry owner, who decided the presidential mansion did not meet his tacky standards.

If Trump’s critics had predicted this during the 2024 campaign, the right would’ve accused them of being hysterical. And yet, here we are.