The wrecking of part of the White House\u2019s East Wing to make way for President Trump\u2019s ballroom is striking a nerve with his critics who see it as an overhaul of a historic building for a gaudy personal project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Images of an excavator tearing into parts of the White House went viral<\/u><\/a> on Monday, eliciting the latest outrage over Trump\u2019s efforts to rapidly remake the nation\u2019s capital in his preferred image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That has included paving over the Rose Garden grass, installing flag poles on the White House lawn, covering the Oval Office in gold accents, taking control of the Kennedy Center and deploying the National Guard around Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump is also leaving a lasting mark on the federal government, having spearheaded a dramatic reduction<\/u><\/a> in the size of the workforce, a reconfiguration of some departments and the elimination of entire agencies while largely sidelining Congress<\/u><\/a> to implement his agenda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But the ballroom project has struck a particular nerve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Historians said the construction both struck at the literal edifice of the building and the symbolism the \u201cPeople\u2019s House\u201d represents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ed Lengel, who served as the chief historian for the White House Historical Association from 2016 to 2018, told The Hill that even Trump\u2019s previous changes, such as the installation of flag poles on the North Lawn and South Lawn, the redecoration of the Oval Office and the changes to the Rose Garden, were \u201cnothing unusual\u201d and that presidents through history have \u201cput their own personal stamp on the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe thing that is unprecedented about this is the construction of the ballroom,\u201d Lengel said. \u201cThere\u2019s never been anything like that before. And I think I can say that with total confidence. There\u2019s been nothing on that scale, even close to that scale, has ever been done before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The White House has pushed back hard on that criticism and dismissed what it called \u201cmanufactured outrage\u201d over the construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou probably hear the beautiful sound of construction in the back,\u201d Trump told GOP senators he hosted in the Rose Garden on Tuesday. \u201cYou hear that sound? That\u2019s music to my ears. I think when I hear that sound it reminds me of money. In this case it reminds me of lack of money, because I\u2019m paying for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump has sought for years to construct a ballroom at the White House, and administration officials have asserted the project is part of a long tradition of presidents modernizing and changing the building to suit their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The White House pointed to the 1902 construction of the West Wing, the 1933 expansion of the West Wing and construction of the East Wing, the 1948 rehab of the building\u2019s interior, the 1973 addition of a bowling alley in the basement and the 2009 work that turned a tennis court into a basketball court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the latest instance of manufactured outrage, unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies are clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump\u2019s visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House \u2014 a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and renovations from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence,\u201d the White House said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, in a sign the administration was sensitive to the viral images of a gutted East Wing, the Treasury Department directed staff not to share photos<\/u><\/a> of the project, which was visible from its offices. A spokesperson for the department cited security concerns as the reason for the direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo me, the thing that\u2019s shocking is not from the perspective of White House history and the building itself, it\u2019s more changing the nature of the edifice, and what it represents goes counter to what the founders intended this to be. \u2026 They wanted it to be the people\u2019s house,\u201d Lengel added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Society of Architectural Historians issued a statement<\/u><\/a> late last week expressing \u201cgreat concern\u201d over the ballroom project, saying the proposal should be subject to \u201ca rigorous and deliberate design and review process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Associated Press<\/u><\/a> reported that the National Capital Planning Commission, which is led by White House staff secretary Will Scharf, said last month the ballroom project did not require the panel\u2019s approval for construction to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt\u2002<\/u><\/a>announced at the end of July plans for a $200 million ballroom that would be funded by outside donors. At the time, the White House said the ballroom would be 90,000 square feet and hold a seated capacity of 650 people for events like state dinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In making the announcement<\/u><\/a>, officials said the ballroom would be \u201csubstantially separated from the main building of the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Construction began on Monday, with an excavator tearing into the East Wing of the White House, sending parts of the roof, the building\u2019s exterior and portions of its interior crumbling to the ground. Offices located in that part of the building were relocated, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n White House officials have repeatedly noted the cost of the ballroom will be footed by donors, rather than taxpayers. Trump last week hosted a dinner<\/u><\/a> at the White House for donors to the project, which included representatives from Microsoft, Google, Palantir and other companies, as well as wealthy figures such as Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The donor aspect has fueled further criticism from Democrats, who see it as an opening for wealthy individuals to gain access to the White House by cutting a check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe entire purpose of replacing the White House with this gaudy ballroom is to serve as a reward for Trump\u2019s campaign donors and crypto scam bribers,\u201d said Jesse Lee, who served in the Obama and Biden administrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ballroom comes in the broader context of Trump\u2019s second term, which has seen him rapidly bend the government and major institutions to his will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n