The construction project newly underway at the White House for President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom is causing mounting backlash, which the administration is dubbing "manufactured outrage" and “pearl clutching.”
The criticism began rolling in Monday when images of the demolition surfaced online and Trump took to Truth Social to declare that ground had been broken on construction of his “new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom.” The photos showed bulldozers tearing down a portion of the outside of the East Wing, which is connected to the main White House building and typically houses a workspace for the first lady and other offices. Windows and pieces of the walls were seen laying on the ground next to construction equipment.
Trump on Wednesday steadfastly defended his efforts to build what he referred to as one of the greatest ballrooms "anywhere in the world." He put the new cost estimate at $300 million for the structure, although stressing it will be covered by him and private donors he called "some friends." He also responded to criticism that the photos seemed to contradict initial statements that the new ballroom would only touch the East Wing rather than tear it down.
"In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure," Trump said.
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— Tearing Down the White House
A number of Democratic lawmakers pounced on the striking images that came out Monday to criticize the president. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent foe of the president, remarked Trump was “ripping apart” the White House just like he is the Constitution, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., used it to slam the commander in chief for the cost of living in the country.
Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as the press secretary to Democratic former President Joe Biden at the end of his tenure in office, referred to it as “corruption at its core” in an appearance on ABC’s “The View,” while Hillary Clinton –– a former secretary of state, first lady and Trump’s 2016 Democratic rival for the White House –– bashed the move in a post on X.
“It’s not his house,” Clinton wrote. “It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
Read the rest at Spectrum News.
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