Trump and his administration think the American people are really stupid. Or at least dumber than they are.
When asked if they consulted anyone for permission and guidance before destroying the East Wing of the White House, their answer was they were told you don't need permission to tear something down. You only need permission for "construction — vertical build". So by that rationalization Trump wouldn't need permission to tear down the entire White House? He'd just need permission to construct a new White House? You mean the new gold plated "Donald Trump Executive Mansion"?
The "vertical build" is not some technical jargon, it is word shit to keep the paving of the Rose Garden and the erection of the new White House flag poles out of the discussion.
Trump claims that he and some of his friends will pay for the new ballroom (originally estimated to cost $200 to $250 million). He may extort money from his "friends", but I don't believe he will put any of his own money into the venture. Trump also just filed for a $230 million payment for the suffering he took because of his two indictments for the January 6 riots and the national security documents he stole and hid at Mar-a-Lago. Indictments that he would have probably been convicted on if he hadn't won the 2024 election. He filed the suits knowing that he and his surrogates have the sole legal authority to authorize the payment to him (you can't make this stuff up). Does the $230 million sound close to any current project Trump might like to fund? If it is not needed for the ballroom, he can take a tax deduction and give it to his presidential library to cover the expenses of flying around in his Qatari jet until it is needed to go in the library.
When asked about what the new ballroom would be called, Trump said something like he hadn't really thought about it, but probably "The White House Ballroom". BS! The whole purpose of the new ballroom is to get his name on it.
Trump claims the country needs the new ballroom so Presidents don't have to erect big tents on the South Lawn every time for the large, lavish dinners required for a foreign leader's state visit.
I did some checking. I could only find about a dozen such events in the last 10 years. I also checked about roughly how many venues there are in DC that could house 800 people. The estimate was about 30 to 60 locations. Even many more if you include the areas surrounding DC.
I can understand there might be some security issues using some building not on the White House grounds, but they hold national political conventions in public buildings. And there are some government buildings that are already big enough.
How much more would it cost to build a dedicated national ballroom at a different location? The ballroom could then more easily be used for other large governmental events. It might also make it easier to implement another of Trump's goals for the new building.
My instinct is, as Deep Throat said, "Follow the money". I've got to believe Trump has got some plan to monetize the new ballroom. Imagine how much magettes would pay to be able to say, I had my wedding, wedding reception, birthday party, bar/bat mitzva, funeral, etc. in "The Donald J. Trump White House Golden Ballroom". Cha-ching!
