Democrats, left-wing activists and the corporate media have raged over the temporary demolition of the East Wing as the construction of President Donald Trumpâs ballroom begins.
The partial demolition of the East Room happened on Monday as construction began on the 90,000 square foot ballroom. Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, used a photograph of the construction to accuse Trump of abusing his power despite the extensive history of construction projects undertaken under past presidents at the White House.
Democrat PoliticiansÂ
âItâs not his house. Itâs your house. And heâs destroying it,â Clinton wrote on X.
Later on in the program, former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the renovation is âcorruption at its core,â adding that it is âsymbolicâ of Trumpâs leadership.
âSo, the peopleâs house is basically being sold to the highest bidder. It is corruption at its core, and I heard someone say this while I was backstage. It could not be, thereâs no greater metaphor than whatâs happening right now in this country than watching Donald Trump take a wrecking ball to the White House,â Jean-Pierre said. âItâs too obvious, itâs like you couldnât make that up. When I saw this image yesterday, I was like âthis is not real.â
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Corporate Press
CNNâs Karen Finney said on Monday that the timing of the construction is âgrotesqueâ and âgross.â
âI think itâs fairly grotesque to begin construction, just the optics of beginning construction on a grand ballroom at a time when the government is shutdown, inflation is still high, costs are still high, we saw a new economic indicators coming out today actually showing that middle and lower income Americans are falling behind in car payments which is an early indicator. So even if you believe that this was a good idea, I would say the timing is horrible,â Finney said on âThe Source with Kaitlan Collins.â âAnd look, personally, you know, it was a little shocking to see those images having worked in the White House. I mean, thereâs so much beauty and history in theEast Wing. So itâs sad to see that, you know, that huge hole there.â
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Trump and other private investors are privately paying for the ballroom, meaning no taxpayer dollars will fund its construction. The new ballroom is expected to hold a seating capacity of 650 people.
Major renovations of the White House have taken place several times throughout the mansionâs history. Former President Theodore Roosevelt drastically remodeled the White House through major renovations, including the East Room and State Dining Room. Major renovations took place in the White House from 1948 to 1952 under the presidency of Harry Truman.
Construction also took place to cover the indoor swimming pool and create expanded space for the press.
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