General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNever Trumper Joe Walsh: "Any Democrat running for President in 2028 must pledge to tear down Trump's ballroom."
And Steve Schmidt spells out why this should be the single issue that unifies every part of the anti-Trump coalition:
calimary
(89,468 posts)Last edited Sat Dec 6, 2025, 07:36 PM - Edit history (3)
As Steve Schmidt himself would say: 100%.
FadedMullet
(815 posts).......a given, a no brainer. "Of course we're going to tear it down and rebuild the East Wing. That is a necessity expected by the American people and we will do it. Call it a symbol of all the other Trumpian idiocies that we will undertake to correct if you want, but starting on day one, any and all Democrats will se this as "Job #1".
MurrayDelph
(5,734 posts)since, as a tenant of the building, it was his responsibility for any damages to the property.
FadedMullet
(815 posts)chouchou
(3,009 posts)We wouldn't have to haul the disgusting thing away. Just plant grass over it..
LudwigPastorius
(14,456 posts)You don't think those MAGA, high roller, big donors are going to fork over millions to Trump for just an evening of dancing, do you?
chouchou
(3,009 posts)Red Mountain
(2,292 posts)can ever alter our national historic landscape again
Mz Pip
(28,410 posts)Its a f*cking throne room. Trump envisions himself swanning through the room, down a red carpet to the cheers and chants of his adoring minions.
Gaugamela
(3,405 posts)pecosbob
(8,355 posts)tinrobot
(12,028 posts)Or if it is built, it will be so shoddy it falls down on it's own.
CTyankee
(67,986 posts)No ballroom!
UTUSN
(77,399 posts)Ocelot II
(129,952 posts)If it ever gets built - and I have my doubts - it's got to go. The WH already has a perfectly good ballroom that's been used for social events since the middle of the 19th century; the only reason Krasnov wants this monstrosity is so he can slap fake gold all over it and hold court like he was Louis XIV at Versailles, with an audience of oligarchs offering him tribute. Tear it down and hold an exorcism over the ground where it stood before rebuilding the East Wing.
blubunyip
(268 posts)Yes--the exorcism will be absolutely necessary.
Xolodno
(7,327 posts)For the same reason people say we should stop building HSR in California, its going to cost money to deconstruct what's there it and haul it away.
Furthermore, I don't think it will be finished in time and the next Democratic President can simply halt construction, finish it off more modestly as is and call it a day. They could even cordon off an area for offices.
Boo1
(253 posts)bulldozers don't cost that much. Knock it over and haul it away.
Same goes for everything else he builds in that time.
Katcat
(563 posts)The Donald Trump Home For Kids and Women he has abused
Emrys
(9,013 posts)Or gut it and convert it into a prison for Trump and his accomplices with extensive displays setting out their crimes as a warning to current and future generations. Finance it by selling tickets so the public can tour it and point and laugh at the inmates or whatever else they want to do.
It needn't cost much. The decor could be very plain prison grey floor to ceiling, levels of comfort and cuisine could be as spartan as human rights laws allow, and no need for an exercise yard as there'd be no lifts or escalators.
And staff it with Somalis.
markodochartaigh
(5,309 posts)I say leave the Epstein Ballroom up and turn into a museum of all of the abuses and corruption of the current regime. Other countries have kept such things as memorials so that their populations do not forget.
I absolutely believe that the US population will deny and forget everything within a decade.
JCMach1
(29,157 posts)Museum and entrance for WH tours.
fujiyamasan
(1,460 posts)I dont care what it costs. Tear it down.
Repurposing it is missing the point. It's an abomination, a hideous symbol of the way this administration has erased and destroyed so much that was good. If you let any part of it stand, it holds the taint of King Pedo and his big FU to the American people. It deserves total erasure. And then a new East Wing can be built.
mdbl
(8,407 posts)Callie1979
(1,239 posts)LilElf70
(1,465 posts)ANYTHING he put his name on. Any racist rules he approved. IE MLK day at the parks, etc. The list goes on and on. Don't stop with just the ballroom. His name should never disgrace this country ever again.
Squaredeal
(711 posts)This would tell the public how politically corrupt America corporations are.
orleans
(36,796 posts)Paladin
(32,354 posts)...get rid of all the ugly, cheap-looking gold decorations, and re-plant Jackie Kennedy's garden. Eliminate as much trump ugliness as possible, and let this wounded nation have a fresh start.
Bev54
(13,368 posts)steps to be taken to reverse Trump programs and executive orders.
rickford66
(6,056 posts)His name has to be removed from everything. All costs should be borne by the corporations and individuals who funded these un-American atrocities. Give him his 747 but remove the engines. Afterall, the aircraft at Presidential libraries are meant to be static displays.
stopdiggin
(15,259 posts)Because this is of course the single most overriding issue confronting a new administration ...
Deliver us ... !!
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RandomNumbers
(19,104 posts)Much more succinct than mine.
But I do think removing the stupid ballroom is important - due to its symbolism - BUT it will be, if we're lucky, around #3,456 on the list of things to be fixed from this horrific time.
BeyondGeography
(40,978 posts)But since when didnt Democrats turn a simple political proposition into a conundrum? The ballroom as presently conceived is an abomination that will dwarf the White House. It should be torn down even if it didnt have Trumps name on it. Tearing it down is more than just a simple physical act; it would symbolize a break with a horrid past and all its author stood for. And much would flow from that in terms of legislation and executive orders.
But no, say the adults, lets focus uniquely on POLICY and nothing else. You know, bills that may or may not pass in a timely or desirable manner and the effects of which may or may not be felt in time for the next presidential election. Give folks that same-as-it-ever-was feeling with no tangible evidence to the contrary. Some people have learned absolutely nothing about politics in the last ten years.
stopdiggin
(15,259 posts)I'm not saying the ball room should not be reduced, reversed, removed ... Whatsits ...
So much that the quote given above is ...
A most stunning example of ...
The appallingly facile. Appallingly stupid. In a word, juvenile - embarrassing, unworthy. And much like ... Oh, yeah .. ! That other thing / person ... That roils our stomach ...
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I understand what you say, old friend. It's just that I don't agree.
AllaN01Bear
(29,069 posts)moreland01
(867 posts)All trump portraits. Anything with his name or likeness, and that of his fetid family. Anything gold, gone. Anything that he added, gone. Anything that he removed gets put back. Fumigate the place..
Raine
(31,134 posts)before anything else.
BlueTsunami2018
(4,928 posts)He builds the stupid ballroom, so what? What real effect does that have on anything that actually matters? Most people have no idea thats even happening.
You know what they do see? High prices at the supermarket and everywhere else. These idiotic tariffs. The fact that wages arent keeping up with inflation while some asshole is about to become a fucking trillionaire!
Were fighting a class war. Thats what Democrats should be running on. Thats what they should be talking about nonstop.
Fuck these Republicans. They arent our friends.
DinahMoeHum
(23,489 posts). . .and restore the Rose Garden back to its former glory.
marble falls
(71,423 posts)Midnight Writer
(25,235 posts)Joinfortmill
(20,694 posts)RandomNumbers
(19,104 posts)As ugly and horrible as it is - and YES, the process to remove this monument to horror MUST be put in motion - this is HARDLY the first thing a new US President will need to deal with.
If asked, I will be very happy for a Dem candidate to respond, "it will be on the list, for sure. But I can't promise WHERE on the list. There are many more harms that are more immediate for everyday Americans and safeguarding our future."
stopdiggin
(15,259 posts)Starting with perhaps some oversight and restructure of ICE, HHS, Justice .... A reinstatement of science .. ? Supreme Court .. ?
Initech
(108,243 posts)So instead we should pledge to restore the East Wing to its' former glory!