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Trump’s White House demolition is pissing off America

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President Donald Trump’s vision for a billionaire-backed ballroom is coming to fruition. What used to be the East Wing, housing the first lady’s office and other historic sectors, is now an empty plot of land.

Initially, White House staffers were told not to share photos of the demolition. But satellite images released Thursday reveal the full extent of the destruction.

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows demolition of the East Wing of the White House on Oct. 23.

The photos stand in stark contrast to Trump’s promise that his new ballroom wouldn’t “interfere” with the integrity of the White House.

Despite Trump and his team raving about it, Americans aren’t too pleased with the vanity project, with a recent YouGov survey finding that 53% of Americans somewhat or strongly disapprove of the demolition.

FILE - The East Wing hallway of the White House is decorated for the holiday season, Nov. 29, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
The East Wing hallway of the White House is decorated for the holidays on Nov. 29, 2016.

Meanwhile, Trump’s new gaudy ballroom has been staunchly defended by Trump’s very own propaganda princess, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

On Thursday, Leavitt snapped back at a reporter who asked if Trump was allowed to tear down anything he wants, since the law requires permission for building new facilities on White House grounds.

“The White House has explained that the reason you didn’t submit construction plans to the [National Capital Planning Commission] is because that commission, along with others, don’t have oversight over demolitions, but only over construction, and so far you haven’t built anything,” CBS reporter Weijia Jiang said.

FILE - Liz Carpenter, press secretary and staff director for first lady Lady Bird Johnson, poses for a photo in her office in the East Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 1963. On the walls are her Theta Sigma Phi Headliner Award and two photos of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges, File)
Liz Carpenter, press secretary and staff director for first lady Lady Bird Johnson, sits in her office in the East Wing in 1963.

“That’s a legal opinion that’s been held by the NCPC for many years,” Leavitt said, adding that a submission wasn’t required for the destruction of the East Wing because it isn’t “vertical construction.”

“So it sounds like the answer is, ‘Yes, he can tear down whatever he wants,’” Jiang responded.

Trump has already left his gilded mark all over the White House, completely transforming the Oval Office and paving over the Rose Garden. And while presidents are free to make updates to the White House, this is the largest demolition in recent history.

FILE - President Bill Clinton, flanked by Governors Ann Richards of Texas and Mario Cuomo of New York, watches the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills play at the Super Bowl, with his daughter Chelsea and their cat Socks at the White House, Jan. 31, 1993, in the family theater in the east wing. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
President Bill Clinton, Gov. Ann Richards of Texas, Gov. Mario Cuomo of New York, and Chelsea Clinton watch the 1993 Super Bowl in the East Wing’s family theater.

And people are mourning the loss of such a significant portion of the White House. In an op-ed for USA Today, Chelsea Clinton expressed her grief for the destruction of the East Wing.

“The White House belongs to the American people, and that’s why we call it the People’s House,” she wrote. “A disregard for history is a defining trait of President Trump’s second administration.”

“This is what happens when we take a wrecking ball to our heritage,” Clinton continued. “What was dismantled today isn’t just marble or plaster; it is a reflection of how easily history can be erased when power forgets purpose.”

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Alix Breeden

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