The White House has undergone several upgrades and facelifts under presidents from both parties. So why are Democrats so emotional about Trump’s addition?
Tourists in Washington, DC, are unhappy about White House construction
USA TODAY’s White House Correspondent Zac Anderson spoke to tourists who flocked to the White House to get a look at the construction.
Once again, President Donald Trump is doing something Democrats don’t like. Is it lowering taxes or stopping chaos at the border?
No, he’s already gotten heat for those “awful” ideas.
This time it’s a renovation. Construction workers finished demolition of the East Wing of the White House on Thursday, Oct. 23. The Mar-a-Lago-like makeover is part of a 90,000-square-foot expansion to build a ballroom that could cost up to $300 million, which Trump said he and private donors are funding.
Democrats are crashing out over this White House renovation
The move has spurred a massive meltdown among the left, earning ire from late-night talk show hosts, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and elected Democrats.
“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it,” Clinton posted on X on Tuesday, Oct. 21, just after demolition began.
On “The Tonight Show,” host Jimmy Fallon joked, “For Trump, knocking down walls is easy; it’s building them that’s hard.”
When I saw construction had begun, I really didn’t have a strong opinion about the renovation either way. It is not uncommon for presidents to renovate the White House in a significant way. And White House staffers seem indifferent, according to Wired. But when liberals really freak out, I do pay attention. One of these days, they might be right about Trump. Who knows?
The more I looked into the projected changes, however, the more I came to the conclusion that Trump’s renovation actually seems like a smart business decision and a wise long-term investment in the People’s House, something from which both future presidents − and thus Americans − will benefit.
The White House has undergone many renovations
I guess Trump is so triggering that people seem to forget about the past, but past presidents have made renovations on various portions of the White House for decades to either add something new and necessary or to modernize the facility.
President Franklin Roosevelt oversaw the addition of the East Wing in 1942. Harry Truman was president when the White House underwent a major modernization. President Richard Nixon added a bowling alley in 1973, and in 2009, President Barack Obama had the tennis court at the White House adapted so it could be used for tennis and basketball.
Trump said Oct. 22 that he and a bevy of private donors ‒ such as Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, Lockheed Martin, Meta and Microsoft ‒ have made contributions to pay for the ballroom.
PBS reports that approximately $22 million for the project came from YouTube, a Google subsidiary, related to the 2021 legal settlement with Trump.
The ballroom is being funded by wealthy donors and organizations, not U.S. taxpayers. That seems like a boon for us. Because some of these same donors also funded President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day activities, I’m not worried about Google and friends sponsoring the White House. They all seem to cater to those who are in power.
The ballroom Trump has commissioned will benefit future generations. It will exist in all its ornate grandeur for future presidents, Republicans and Democrats alike, including their administrations, Cabinet members and other heads of state.
It won’t be just a symbol of the Trump presidency, even if that is what he wants it to be. Hopefully, it will be a reminder of American ingenuity, a collaborative spirit among influential organizations and the president, and a sign for all Americans that the best is yet to come.
Trump ran for president saying he was going to usher in a “golden age.” What did Democrats think that would look like? By their outrage, it seems like they want him to sit in the White House and sulk. Instead, Trump has focused on policy reform that has lowered inflation since Biden’s term, created a consistently soaring stock market and secured the border. Soon a gorgeous ballroom will be built where future presidents can host domestic and international allies alike.
I didn’t care about Trump’s ballroom at first, but now I think it sounds lovely – an embodiment of the American spirit and a symbol of the prosperity Trump’s trying to bring to all Americans.
If the construction of a ballroom that Trump and friends paid for is what gets Democrats in a lather, I’m afraid it’s going to be a very long three more years for them. I just have one more question: Since they hate the ballroom, does that mean none of them will use it if they ever elect a Democrat for president again?
Nicole Russell is a columnist at USA TODAY and a mother of four who lives in Texas. Contact her at nrussell@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @russell_nm. Sign up for her weekly newsletter, The Right Track, here.