'Almost like slashing a Rembrandt': Presidential historian reacts to White House demolition

[mahatmakanejeeves]

‘Almost like slashing a Rembrandt’: Presidential historian reacts to White House demolition

Jimmy Alexander | [e-mail]
October 21, 2025, 11:21 AM


Work begins on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)(AP/Evan Vucci)

Tearing down part of the White House’s East Wing was not on most people’s bingo card. But that demolition began Monday, as part of President Donald Trump’s plans to build a $250 million ballroom.

The project looks to add a 90,000-square-foot ballroom fitted with glass walls, and offer the ability to seat hundreds of guests. Construction is expected to wrap before the end of Trump’s current term.

One person stunned by the images of the backhoe tearing into the facade of the East Wing was Douglas Brinkley, the official presidential historian for the New York Historical Society.

“Maybe it’s just the dislike of change on my part, but it seemed painful, almost like slashing a Rembrandt painting,” Brinkley said. “Or defacing a Michelangelo’s sculpture.”

{snip}

Jimmy Alexander
Jimmy Alexander has been a part of the D.C. media scene as a reporter for DC News Now and a long-standing voice on the Jack Diamond Morning Show. Now, Alexander brings those years spent interviewing newsmakers like President Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney and Sean Connery, to the WTOP Newsroom.
[e-mail]

[Irish_Dem]

1. The White House is a priceless historical building, an icon of democracy.

The damage cost is incalculable.

[ffr]

3. It makes one wonder. How badly does he want to pivot from asking questions about the Epstein files.

That's how bad!

[ffr]

2. Clear similarities between friends

Our former adversaries ballroom

Putin's official working residence in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow

[popsdenver]

6. I wondered how they got started so quickly........

Putin lent him the blueprints that he had drawn up for his Gawdy Gold Design Nightmare....

[-misanthroptimist]

4. Moved,

That the new building be named "The Epstein Files Memorial."

[Grammy23]

5. I was thinking about when the White House needed serious renovations

during the Truman Administration. it seems the house was in serious need of repairs to save it. There were foundation issues, I believe and for the well being of those who were in the house and the house itself, serious repairs were done.

This is totally different. No mention has been made of any defects or flaws that need to be corrected have been offered, Just the wet dream of a deluded, frustrated wanna bee monarch. Before his term is up or he is ousted from the job, he is going to find out how much he is loathed and despised by the American people.

This latest debacle is a bridge too far. He deserves every ounce of scorn and derision heaped on his pumpkin head. And to embark on this project when so many American people and hopeful immigrants are suffering is just unconscionable. Of course, I guess it is expecting too much from a guy with NO CONSCIENCE.

[LisaM]

7. Like the Bonwit Teller friezes that he trashed.

https://news-artnet-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/news.artnet.com/art-world/donald-trump-bonwit-teller-friezes-met-2132673?amp=1&amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17610759944113&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.artnet.com%2Fart-world%2Fdonald-trump-bonwit-teller-friezes-met-2132673

[mnhtnbb]

9. That's the first thing I thought of having

grown up in NJ going into the city to shop, go to concerts and see theatre.

[ffr]

11. TSF taking up pen names to cheat his way out of doing the right thing or even following through on his own promises

is like a Jekyll and Hyde-like personality disorder.

What a sick fuck!

[reACTIONary]

8. The East Wing was first constructed in 1902, as a one story....

... auxiliary connected to the historic white house by a breeze way of some sort. In 1945 it was reconstructed as a two story auxiliary with a bomb shelter in the basement.

The east wing does not seem to me to be a historic structure. It's a mid 20th century structure loosely connected to the historic white house.

[Farmer-Rick]

10. Saw pedo Trump's patchwork of incoherent

sentence fragments let lose on our fawning corporate media today. When you can comprehend what all those fragments of thoughts are, you get a picture of a maniacally stupid man who is flouting destroying what was once an historically significant building. Parts of it were over 123 years old.

He likes turning it to rubble. He enjoys the destruction of unique and beautiful things. When he half mumbled those thought fragments, all he lacked was a maniacal laugh to make his true personality show.

Also he kept inserting the thought fragment that we are gaining millions and billions from his haphazard tariffs. Not sure what he means by we, because it certainly doesn't include you and me and of course our lazy corporate media never asked. But if like the fleeting thought that pedo Trump attempted to express was that we means the US is gaining millions and billions from his haphazardly imposed tariffs, then why the need for the firing of so many federal workers and the need for the government shutdown? If he doesn't need our tax dollars why is he stopping the government over how to distribute our tax dollars?

The man is a creepy demented idiot that needs to be in a nursing home.