Trump’s Gold-Plated Desecration of the White House

The demolition of the East Wing isn’t just architecture — it’s the ultimate symbol of his ego and contempt for democracy.

Donald Trump’s destruction of the East Wing of the White House has outraged much of the country. You might think he’d wish for a magic wand to bring it back. Forget that magical thinking. Trump feels no remorse because, as with everything, the gut-wrenching teardown is a reflection of his inner self. This is a man driven to mark everything as his territory, with no regard for anyone else.

In this case, Trump is tampering with a landmark that has stood as a symbol of our democratic republic since John and Abigail Adams became its first residents in 1800. It was rebuilt after the British burned the interior during the War of 1812, expanded over the years with East and West Wings, and periodically renovated — but never before has any part of it been pulled down.

As the images and video of workers using heavy equipment — they looked like a gang of T-Rexes — to destroy the East Wing circulated, I felt revolted and betrayed. Revolted because the wreckers, on Trump’s command, turned an elegant structure into rubble. Betrayed because presidents do not own the White House. They are temporary residents who, until now, have acted as trustees of what is a modest yet powerful national treasure.

I say modest because the White House, fittingly called The People’s House, was designed as a symbol of democracy. Its architect, James Hoban, rejected the Rococo style popular among European monarchs, whose massive palaces were built to intimidate and isolate. Instead, Hoban embraced the classical symmetry of the Greeks and Romans who inspired the American experiment. Sturdy columns project solidity. Triangular pediments evoke ancient temples. Hoban included a welcoming entrance and set the building in a park open to the public.

The public has always had a relationship with the White House. Thomas Jefferson threw open its doors to all comers on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July. Andrew Jackson welcomed anyone to his inaugural party — thousands took him up on it, turning the place into an 1829 version of Animal House. They were lured outside only when Jackson’s aides rolled kegs of beer onto the lawn.

On less formal occasions, ordinary citizens knocked on the White House door and were let in without ceremony. Some wanted a look around; others came seeking jobs or favors. When Charles Dickens knocked in 1842 and no one answered, he simply walked in — and soon found himself meeting President John Tyler. The gates weren’t even guarded until the 1880s. Today, the public is still admitted for tours.

With this demolition, Trump didn’t just destroy the modest ballroom that had stood since Theodore Roosevelt built it in 1902. The wing also housed the offices of the First Lady, the White House Family Theater, the Office of Legislative Affairs, and the colonnade connecting it to the main building.

The new addition, so large that it destroys the architectural balance of the White House, will feature a 90,000-square-foot ballroom for 1,000 guests. The old one could accommodate around 200 — and, according to Trump, “was never thought of as being much.” Of course, invitations to East Wing events were always prized precisely because the space was intimate and human in scale. What Trump wants, and is getting, is a ballroom larger than any hotel in Washington.

How much will this travesty cost? Initial estimates were $200 million; today, it’s expected to reach $300 million. According to the White House, the money is coming from corporate donors. Alphabet (formerly Google) has contributed $22 million. Others include Comcast, Meta, Microsoft, Palantir, Apple, and the defense contractor Lockheed Martin — all companies with significant business before the administration.

And what will the new wing look like? So far, details are scant, but when Trump held up a rendering of the interior, it glowed with a golden hue. Gold, of course, is Trump’s favorite color — already splashed across his gaudy Oval Office makeover. It is the color of ego, greed, and power-mad kings. Nothing — and no one — could be less American.

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