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riversedge

(78,485 posts)
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 12:45 PM Wednesday

Alexander S. Vindman 🇺🇸: I don't understand why Trump wrecking the White House isn't a bigger story. I've been in the



Alexander S. Vindman 🇺🇸
@AVindman
I don’t understand why Trump wrecking the White House isn’t a bigger story. I’ve been in the East Wing many times. Built by Teddy Roosevelt, expanded by FDR, it served a critical function for official gatherings like Medal of Honor award ceremonies and as an emergency ops center.








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Alexander S. Vindman 🇺🇸: I don't understand why Trump wrecking the White House isn't a bigger story. I've been in the (Original Post) riversedge Wednesday OP
Well, Col. Vindman... I, for one am devastated... hlthe2b Wednesday #1
Just to build the Epstein Ballroom markodochartaigh Wednesday #2
Perfect name for it! bamagal62 Wednesday #4
Epstein Memorial Ballroom ffr Wednesday #15
I think the purpose is to demoralize people PatSeg Wednesday #3
I think so too. 2naSalit Wednesday #5
Same here PatSeg Wednesday #25
I don't think the mass protests had anything to do with it. pandr32 Wednesday #6
Fawk, forgot about that damn arc. a kennedy Wednesday #13
I know the ballroom was already planned, PatSeg Wednesday #26
Right. Already planned but very intentional timing. yorkster Wednesday #41
They didn't According to Wiki & AI - he's been talking about this renovation since 2010 womanofthehills Wednesday #46
I was thinking he'd pull down the Washington monument The Blue Flower Wednesday #8
Sounds like something he would do PatSeg Wednesday #28
Let's hope not. pandr32 Wednesday #49
He's building a monument to himself Raven123 Wednesday #9
Yep. But the ballroom in not enough to sate his bottomless ego. Martin Eden Wednesday #22
I look forward to donating to whatever effort there is to demolish all of it Raven123 Wednesday #27
And what is sad is PatSeg Wednesday #29
I think that it is being built popsdenver Wednesday #19
Good points PatSeg Wednesday #30
This message was self-deleted by its author maddiemom Wednesday #31
Macron should have taken the Statue of Liberty back when he was here. nt maddiemom Wednesday #35
That was my reasoning as well. Karma13612 Wednesday #40
Sounds like his (their) reasoning PatSeg Wednesday #57
Agree. yellow dahlia Wednesday #54
he has many enablers. mdbl Wednesday #58
MADE YOU LOOK usonian Wednesday #7
I understand completely why it isn't a bigger story hvn_nbr_2 Wednesday #10
But if this had been Hillary Clinton doing it, if you could imagine that happening in a million years, ffr Wednesday #16
MSNBC is covering it. yellow dahlia Wednesday #55
Dah winnah! raccoon Thursday #62
It's to disable the Emergency Command Center RainCaster Wednesday #11
I believe what others have mentioned, he is not planning on leaving Our House EVER. a kennedy Wednesday #12
I fear you're right... getting him out of "OUR" House is going to take a ... slightlv Wednesday #60
Vast right wing conspiracy! cksmithy Wednesday #14
Not even just that angrychair Wednesday #17
Have you seen the pictures popsdenver Wednesday #21
Absolutely angrychair Wednesday #23
Along with Russia's 1914 borders. Wednesdays Wednesday #50
Traitors' Hall BurnDoubt Wednesday #18
Or... Trump/Epstein Victims' Memorial Hall BurnDoubt Wednesday #20
I believe part of the answer to why such demolition is in part of Vindman's post. East Wing built txwhitedove Wednesday #24
The entire Republican Party popsdenver Wednesday #45
Obviously it is a big story on DU, but I can see why other Trump news could be bigger muriel_volestrangler Wednesday #32
Also big news story on other news platforms. Read that other news too and cried over it all, but txwhitedove Wednesday #44
Agree - all the human killing & suffering over takes this story womanofthehills Wednesday #47
+1 leftstreet Wednesday #48
There should have been a J6- type response intrepidity Wednesday #33
To Trump a Ball Room makes other people small. pwb Wednesday #34
And it's the only way he can have big balls. lastlib Wednesday #43
From a general building perspective, I think it's fairly rare kairos12 Wednesday #36
It's the fucking M$M cherry-picking fake outrage at Democrats only Blue Owl Wednesday #37
MSM is, once again, complicit mcar Wednesday #38
It's not a bigger story because TRUMP FLOODS THE ZONE WITH SHIT. maxsolomon Wednesday #39
The work crew is comprised of criminals from Jan 6 that he pardoned. twodogsbarking Wednesday #42
It is.................. Lovie777 Wednesday #51
Really, one of the most important and famous buildings in the world /nt bucolic_frolic Wednesday #52
When you're a star they let you do it /nt bucolic_frolic Wednesday #53
This & the Rose Garden. tblue37 Wednesday #56
It's a HUGE deal to me, Mr. Vindaman. I can't stop crying about it. BComplex Wednesday #59
Trump lied about the ballroom project. red dog 1 Wednesday #61
It isn't a bigger story because B.See Thursday #63
Remove Him. Joinfortmill Thursday #64
The lack of outrage and strong pushback has puzzled me. Martin68 Thursday #65
I'm not only disgusted and devastec Jilly_in_VA Thursday #66
The media is owned by billionaires Mysterian Thursday #67
Could it be the media? Huh? Clouds Passing Thursday #68

PatSeg

(51,263 posts)
3. I think the purpose is to demoralize people
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 12:54 PM
Wednesday

by destroying a symbol of democracy. The timing seemed to be in response to "No Kings Day" protests. If the next one is even bigger, maybe he'll dismantle the Statue of Liberty and sell it for scrap metal.

He really thinks he can do anything he wants and there will never be any repercussions. He is mad with power and vengeance.

PatSeg

(51,263 posts)
25. Same here
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:35 PM
Wednesday

Truly a scary thought when you realize he has the nuclear codes. I can picture him starting a nuclear war if he doesn't get his way.

pandr32

(13,571 posts)
6. I don't think the mass protests had anything to do with it.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 01:28 PM
Wednesday

He already had plans for this. He has more plans, too, like a giant arc-de-Trump.
Gawd knows what else is in his demented mind. His likeness carved into a mountain? He will likely add another wing onto the White House on the West side. I am betting he already has plans.
If anything, the government shut-down, which he has instructed his minions in Congress to hold the line with, gives him cover. There is no functioning Congress right now.

PatSeg

(51,263 posts)
26. I know the ballroom was already planned,
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:38 PM
Wednesday

but it feels like he timed the East Wing demolition in response to the protests. I know it would have happened eventually, but Trump likes putting on a show.

womanofthehills

(10,519 posts)
46. They didn't According to Wiki & AI - he's been talking about this renovation since 2010
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 04:17 PM
Wednesday

He’s always thought it should look like his Mar-Largo ballroom - Greek columns, marble floor - just tacky with lots of gold leaf. Interesting- bulletproof walls??

Wiki -

“During President Barack Obama's first term in office, at least as early as 2010, then-private citizen Trump spoke to senior advisor David Axelrod and expressed a desire to build a ballroom on White House grounds.[3][4] In 2016, during the second term of the presidency of Barack Obama, then-candidate Trump offered to pay $100 million to fund a ballroom at the White House but was rejected.[2][5]”

The Blue Flower

(6,233 posts)
8. I was thinking he'd pull down the Washington monument
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 01:35 PM
Wednesday

He can never be a fraction of the man Washington was.

PatSeg

(51,263 posts)
28. Sounds like something he would do
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:41 PM
Wednesday

or maybe rename it the Trump monument and slap a bunch of gold on it. We all know how he loves plastering his name on everything.

Martin Eden

(15,047 posts)
22. Yep. But the ballroom in not enough to sate his bottomless ego.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:25 PM
Wednesday

Nothing is, so next up is a gigantic "Arc de Trump" dwarfing the Lincoln Memorial on our National Mall.

PatSeg

(51,263 posts)
29. And what is sad is
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:45 PM
Wednesday

there will never be anything to appease him. It is so common with the billionaire class - there is never enough.

popsdenver

(771 posts)
19. I think that it is being built
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:18 PM
Wednesday

so that he can relocate his Mar-A-Gago dinner grifting to his home in DC.........
He has full house dinners for donors down at Mar-a-gago, at thousands a plate.
He is just making a ballroom, ten times the size of his florida ballroom, with plans to increase his take, off of the per plate charge by ten times....
Plus, if he hosts one of those dinners for donors in Mar-a-gago.....he has to foot the complete bill for everything including food......
In this new facility, the U.S. Taxpayers will pick up the cost for everything spent to host his guests, and he will receive the money from the per plate charges deposited in his personal phony PAC.

It is being reported that the ballroom addition in DC will hold 1,000 dinner guests......multiply that at his "per plate" dinner charge........
I can imagine that the construction will be fast tracked so he can start grifting the "spoils" by next spring......LOL

We all will have to watch the construction closely for what goes on BELOW GROUND LEVEL..... under this monstrosity.......

PatSeg

(51,263 posts)
30. Good points
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:48 PM
Wednesday

In his first term, he referred to the White House as a "dump". Now he's determined to change all that and in ways that will benefit him personally and financially.

Response to PatSeg (Reply #3)

Karma13612

(4,844 posts)
40. That was my reasoning as well.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 03:34 PM
Wednesday

The cruelty is to make us realize we are powerless right now.
No one is going to rescue us this time.
All bets are off.

PatSeg

(51,263 posts)
57. Sounds like his (their) reasoning
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 08:11 PM
Wednesday

But I think such actions will only inspire people to resist even more. His hubris doesn't allow him to comprehend what he's up against. Unfortunately I think he will just get more and more aggressive and outrageous, not to mention dangerous.

hvn_nbr_2

(6,734 posts)
10. I understand completely why it isn't a bigger story
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 01:39 PM
Wednesday

The reason it isn't a bigger story is that CorpoPravda (AKA Plutocracy Pravda, AKA Billionaire Bullshit Media) doesn't want to talk about it, doesn't want you to know about it, and doesn't want you to think about it.

ffr

(23,296 posts)
16. But if this had been Hillary Clinton doing it, if you could imagine that happening in a million years,
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:05 PM
Wednesday

Fox Entertainment would have them all calling for her head or civil war on democrats.

No doubt about it.

Which is why I don't understand how people seeing propaganda headlines sill fall for it with all their might.

yellow dahlia

(3,671 posts)
55. MSNBC is covering it.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 07:35 PM
Wednesday

And they are not sane washing or soft pedaling or both sidesing it.

a kennedy

(34,699 posts)
12. I believe what others have mentioned, he is not planning on leaving Our House EVER.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 01:45 PM
Wednesday

Why else would he actually go through with this monstrosity??? He is not ever leaving there now. He’s got everyone behind him, no one is ever gonna rebuke him so yup, he’s just gonna stay there forever. JMHO.

slightlv

(6,889 posts)
60. I fear you're right... getting him out of "OUR" House is going to take a ...
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 10:44 PM
Wednesday

well, I was going to say an act of Congress. (LOL) He'll die there, refusing to leave. So, let's build him a little mausoleum out back just for his body. Or, if there is a golf course of ANY kind already on the grounds, dig up a hole and bury him in it, just like he did to Ivana.

angrychair

(11,322 posts)
17. Not even just that
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:05 PM
Wednesday

But he is building a giant, garish eyesore that is larger than WH itself...by a lot. It's disgusting. An insult and makes the WH look like palace, instead of The People's House.

Eat. The. Rich.

popsdenver

(771 posts)
21. Have you seen the pictures
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:23 PM
Wednesday

of the similar one that Putin built for himself?????? It even has all the plethora of Gilded Gold Gawdy Garbage like Trump's oval office remodel.....

With the speed at which this was conspired/started, I can only imagine that Putin gave him his blueprints and architectural plans that normally take a year to produce.............

angrychair

(11,322 posts)
23. Absolutely
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:25 PM
Wednesday

Putin has had a fixation on the old Czars for a long time. I truly believes he would love to take the title of "Emperor".

Wednesdays

(21,130 posts)
50. Along with Russia's 1914 borders.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 05:39 PM
Wednesday

Which included all of Ukraine, the Baltic States, Finland, and most of Poland.

txwhitedove

(4,251 posts)
24. I believe part of the answer to why such demolition is in part of Vindman's post. East Wing built
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:29 PM
Wednesday

by Teddy Roosevelt, expanded by FDR, also housed First Lady's office and Eleaner Roosevelt Room. Things and people he hates. M'fcker.

popsdenver

(771 posts)
45. The entire Republican Party
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 04:02 PM
Wednesday

LOATHES those individuals for all the things THE REPUBLICANS detest...........

muriel_volestrangler

(105,052 posts)
32. Obviously it is a big story on DU, but I can see why other Trump news could be bigger
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:51 PM
Wednesday

in some people's eyes: most of the other stuff he's been doing involves killing people (Caribbean boats, HHS, Ukraine, Gaza, USAID), putting Americans into poverty (which might kill them) - budget cuts, especially AHA, kidnapping people (and putting them at higher risk of death) - ICE, stealing millions of dollars from taxpayers (the demand for $230 million), doing the bidding of foreign actors for billions of dollars, doing the bidding of domestic billionaires for billions of dollars (crypto scams), covering up for pedophiles (could be himself, or could be his donors). There's probably more, if you care to add to the list.

Cultural and architectural destruction is bad, but it's possible to put it down the list of evil.

txwhitedove

(4,251 posts)
44. Also big news story on other news platforms. Read that other news too and cried over it all, but
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 04:02 PM
Wednesday

I can walk, chew gum, spit, curse and cry over this news too.... the destruction of more of We The People's democracy, symbols, heritage and history!

womanofthehills

(10,519 posts)
47. Agree - all the human killing & suffering over takes this story
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 04:26 PM
Wednesday

Everyday - killing fishermen in Venezuela, shredding babies in Gaza, putting American kids in handcuffs, bombing all over the Middle East.

It’s hard for me to get more upset over a building than the horrors Trump’s policies are committing every day on human lives.

intrepidity

(8,515 posts)
33. There should have been a J6- type response
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 02:56 PM
Wednesday

That place should have been surrounded by mobs by now.

pwb

(12,390 posts)
34. To Trump a Ball Room makes other people small.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 03:01 PM
Wednesday

His conspicuous consumption makes me puke. Fuck your money donny.

kairos12

(13,415 posts)
36. From a general building perspective, I think it's fairly rare
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 03:07 PM
Wednesday

that someone does a multi-million dollar renovation and then intends to leave. Just wondering.

Blue Owl

(57,719 posts)
37. It's the fucking M$M cherry-picking fake outrage at Democrats only
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 03:08 PM
Wednesday

The Guardians of Pedophilia (GOP) party is like that one spoiled kid who gets away with everything while the parents are busy scolding the well-behaved child over a small trifle.

Fuck them all for helping destroy America all for a few dollars.

maxsolomon

(37,669 posts)
39. It's not a bigger story because TRUMP FLOODS THE ZONE WITH SHIT.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 03:23 PM
Wednesday

There are tons of equivalent stories that need reporting. The Govt isn't even open. ICE is arresting American citizens without warrants. He's threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act on Portland. The military is summarily executing drug smugglers in international waters. It goes on and on every day.

There's also a sense of confusion in reportage over whether he's allowed to just do this or not. It appears that, if you're willing to just be a dominating bully asshole, and he's always been that, there's no process and no one that can stop it.

The reason it's not a bigger story is not that the "MSM" is evil and in Trump's pocket.

Lovie777

(20,807 posts)
51. It is..................
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 05:47 PM
Wednesday

USA citizens are taking notice. Quite a few American know what is happening, and it's not corporate news, BUT word by mouth and what happening in plain sight in states.

BComplex

(9,652 posts)
59. It's a HUGE deal to me, Mr. Vindaman. I can't stop crying about it.
Wed Oct 22, 2025, 09:27 PM
Wednesday

Trump has no respect for anyone but Dick-taters. But democrats are shut out of the news. The entire media is owned by republicans.

B.See

(7,147 posts)
63. It isn't a bigger story because
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 06:10 AM
Thursday

1. The LAMEstreamer cowards have already become too complicit in all that is happening, because of their normalizing of Trump's repeated outrages. So now they're in a state of numb denial.

Just like they'll be when Trump starts bombing his perceived political enemies with something OTHER than AI generated poop.

Believe him, when he shows us who, what, he is.

Jilly_in_VA

(13,345 posts)
66. I'm not only disgusted and devastec
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 10:03 AM
Thursday

I'm furious! I want to ho after him about this, but with what? He's already been sued into the ground, and it doesn't seem to matter to him or to anyone else. I'd like to take a wrecking ball to his head!

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