Reminder: This is the Peoples' House

The root of this feels simply un-American. To many Americans, the iconic buildings of DC are literal monuments to democracy. They are iconic because they appear to remain unchanged from administration to administration. But, like everything else, Trump has to put his touch on things.

The arguments the right is making are that the White House has been altered before. That’s absolutely correct, but the spirit in which this ballroom is different. It’s set against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and has commenced during a literal government shutdown. Americans are in the dark about the economy because the Federal employees who calculate unemployment statistics are at home, not collecting a paycheck.

Former changes were all for pragmatic reasons—to expand the building’s functional space—while later views treat the site as sacred. President Thomas Jefferson’s addition of colonnades to link separate buildings to the main house came when the building was only a decade old, so Jefferson did not see it as the revered symbol it is now considered.

The Original West Wing, Under Construction

Nearly 100 years later, Theodore Roosevelt added the East and West Wings to reflect the expanded role of the Presidency. His successor, William Howard Taft, made the addition permanent by relocating the President’s office.

About twenty years later, Hoover’s renovation to make the West Wing permanent almost ended in tragedy when fire struck. Roosevelt followed by adding office space and an indoor pool (later the Press Room, with choline still detectable underfoot) to the West Wing. During World War II, he also extended the East Wing to conceal a new presidential bunker, now commonly known as the Situation Room.

Harry Truman oversaw the largest renovation in the building’s history with a complete structural demolition and rebuilding that took the better part of his second term in office. The building was gutted, leaving only the exterior walls, and the original timber frame was replaced with a steel skeleton. The final finishes preserved the original neoclassical interior's look and feel, incorporating only a few updates as the building evolved from a private residence to the center of a superpower’s government since its construction. Since then, subsequent updates have been interior design-related or technical to keep the building up to modern security standards.

That’s why this feels un-American. Until recently, Americans have demanded that their Presidents remain humble public servants, and public pressure has forced each of the previous 44 men who have served as Presidents to emphasize the servant aspect of their role. The White House has been called the “people’s house,” and its small size relative to the power of the United States harkens back to when Americans respected humility over domination.

Previous Presidents have honored this relationship and considered themselves to be temporary residents of the People’s House. Earlier renovations went through approvals even if they weren’t required because presidents knew there needed to be some public buy-in. Previous renovations involved public funds that required oversight. Trump sought neither. Ramming through a design using private donations.

Rendering of the ballroom's interior

A glamorous ballroom, in a country where balls have never been part of our culture, contradicts our national traditions. The gold trim, his younger son named Baron, and the trappings of absolute monarchy—which he insists are his right—stand in stark contrast to the founding principles and longstanding values of our nation over the past 250 years.

Public reaction has not been surprising. Those advocating for a significant reduction in the government's footprint seem to have no issue with the substantial increase in the White House's physical footprint. Those who, 15 years ago, denounced Dijon mustard and brown suits as un-American now point to the history of Presidents putting their own stamp on the building. However, White House historian Ed Lingle has stated There’s been nothing on that scale, even close to that scale, has ever been done before.” This isn’t a modernization. It’s a vanity project. The design is flawed because it completely ruins the symmetry of the building. It’s nothing more than a personal plaything that disrespects the history of the office.

New White House Plan

I can overlook the oversized American flag he’s installed, which merely echoes the one atop the White House. These exaggerated gestures of patriotism seem tacky—unless you’re pushing Corollas at 50% off. The ballroom is simply a garish assertion of power. Constructing it where the public once entered for tours is a clear metaphor: yet another literal barrier between the presidency and the people.

My hope is that this vanity project will be undone, perhaps replaced by a museum honoring presidential transparency. Otherwise, future generations may wrongly interpret this extravagance as proof of prosperity, rather than a disregard for genuine national challenges.

And this isn’t even the first building in Washington he’s desecrated. If we allow this to stand, it sets a precedent that no part of our collective history is sacred and each monument, each tradition, is up for grabs to the whims of those in power.