Featured Image Credit: Kevin Dietsch / Staff / Getty
US President Donald Trump has faced criticism for bending the rules once again, after the process of building his $300 million ballroom on White House grounds has caused the entire East Wing to be demolished.
There have been a number of notable changes made to the White House since Donald Trump regained presidency earlier this year, with design overhauls having been made to the Rose Garden, Oval Office, Cabinet Room, and Palm Room.
Many of these have taken the in-your-face gold appearance of many of Trump's own personal projects, and it looks like plans for the next big renovation could take a similar route, ripping away a key part of the historic building in the process.
The East Wing of the White House has become one of its most important features, having been built in 1942 during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. It has typically been used for the First Lady and her staff ever since, and many couldn't imagine the building without it.
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Unfortunately they'll have to now, as construction for Trump's new lavish ballroom has unexpectedly led to the abrupt demolishment of the entire East Wing, despite the president assuring in July that it wouldn't be touched.
Furthermore, this process hasn't received any approval from appropriate agencies, not has it submitted or received permits that would typically be associated with an action as significant as this on White House grounds.
As reported by NBC News, a White House official has outlined that "all the historical components of the East Wing, such as elements from [Rosalynn] Carter's original Office of the First Lady, have been preserved and stored under the supervision of the White House Executive Residence and the National Park Service," yet the building itself is in the process of being torn down.
It was also added that the "entirety" of the East Wing would be "modernized and rebuilt," but also that the process was 'fluid' and 'subject to vary' as it develops, so it's unclear exactly where the East Wing will stand in the future.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has urged demolition to be paused amid fears that it "will overwhelm the White House itself," adding that it should wait until "plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review process."
However, the White House appears to be arguing that processes and permits are not required for demolition, and instead are only needed once construction of the ballroom itself starts.
"It seems like [the White House] plan to submit their proposal to the National Capital Planning Commission," explained Priya Jain, a member of the Society of Architectural Historians, adding: "However, in regular federal projects, deliberation happens before anything is demolished."
Officials from the White House have also attempted to downplay any criticism of the demolition, calling any negative response "manufactured outrage" by "unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies." It also added that critics were "clutching their pearls over President Donald J. Trump's visionary addition of a grand, privately funded ballroom to the White House."
