Pictures and videos of the White House undergoing construction in the historic East Wing have been surfing the internet as of late.
The plan is to fully replace the East Wing, which originally was built and used for the First Lady’s staff and office — along with the President’s movie theatre — but most importantly, it served as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) located in the bunker below the building, where President Donald Trump himself was taken during the White House’s attack in his first presidency.
Though it has been thought of as an afterthought, it was also named as the only real place the First Lady had for herself. It held many traditional roles for presidents, as it held a family room where many famous guests and close friends of the presidential family were invited.
President Trump has been meaning to ensure this project’s completion for multiple years. He reportedly offered President Obama and President Biden to donate himself the money to make such a creation possible.
The project aims for the White House to have a proper event space to host gatherings and important guests. It has been pointed out how ludicrous it was for tents to be pitched up and for the use of porta potties be necessary for the capitol building in a country like the United States.
Furthermore, it would provide the First Lady with another office for her work and staff, along with the main space known as the ballroom itself and finally with guest suites for visiting officials.
Many have voiced this curiosity on the decision of President Trump, The New York Times, interviewed various different voters from across the country and their varying opinions. Some do not think the destruction of the building will be a big deal, and if anything may reinforce the beauty and strength of the US capital. Others say that it’s nothing more than a “vanity project” and is taking away precious attention from the government shutdown that is still underway.
The polarization present in these answers, and whom they voted for in the past election, are rather blatant. The defense of President Trump’s idea is fully backed by his latest voters, meanwhile the other interviewees that reportedly did not vote for him point out the lack of respect in the building’s history and what it stands for the country entirely.
The ballroom project has now grown to a new revision of 90,000 square-foot space that has been named to carry a construction price of $300 million. The Washington Post has additionally shared a digital model showcasing how it will dwarf the very capitol building.
The private donors that President Trump has collected have now raised even more. An official of the White House has said that the ballroom “has received such positive and overwhelming support for the ballroom that he continues to receive donations.”
The White House also released a list of the private donors that contributed to this renovation. All of which have raised the donation amount to that of $350 million, and President Trump has speculated of possibly building a triumphal arch just outside of Washington, resembling that of the Parisian Arc de Triomphe.
Many have defended the decision by pointing out that every President has left their mark on the Capitol building, President Trump’s approach has been more hands-on and extreme than his predecessors. It was reported to be rather jarring to witness the drastic changes, and a wrecking ball hit the building itself.
To quiet further rumors, President Trump also assured that he has no plans of naming the building after himself. Though he has gone back on the initial plan of leaving the existing East Wing alone, “It won’t interfere with the current building,” as Trump said over the summer. “It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
The project shouldn’t enhance any more than it already has and hold true to its purpose of American grandeur.
