It’s a few weeks until November. The government is still shut down. Federal workers aren’t getting paid. And millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits may not see a dime next month.
But who cares about the country eating, right? Certainly not Donald J Trump. Instead, Trump is focused on a new project: demolishing a 123-year-old section of the East Wing to make room for a $250 million, 999-guest ballroom — courtesy of America’s billionaires and big corporations.
The last major White House renovation happened under Harry Truman in the late 1940s and early ’50s. Those changes gutted the interior but preserved the original structure, reinforcing it with steel framing and a stronger foundation. Trump’s plans? Tear it down and start fresh, because apparently the 200-guest East Room isn’t large enough for his ego.
It’s a fitting symbol for what his presidency has always been: excess for the few, austerity for everyone else. As millions brace for the potential loss of food assistance, healthcare, and wages, the self-anointed “King Trump” is getting his palace — paid for by donors and corporations who treat his whims like divine decree.
The irony writes itself. America was founded in revolt against monarchs who lived lavishly while their subjects suffered. Yet as the country nears its 250th birthday, we’re watching a would-be king reshape the People’s House in his own image.
If the shutdown drags into November, the fallout will hit hardest in Republican districts where many voters depend on programs like SNAP and the Affordable Care Act. But Congress seems more concerned with appeasing Trump’s vanity than addressing the needs of the people they represent.
So sure — let them build the ballroom. It'll be fit for a king and that's the point.