President Donald Trump decides to demolish the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. His past announcements stated this wouldn’t be a possibility. Thus, creating another divide throughout the U.S. 

The Focus

In recent announcements, Trump has stated he won’t be making changes to the White House. Instead, he pleaded that his new ballroom would be adjacent to the White House. As exclaimed by The White House, “The White House Ballroom will be substantially separated from the main building of the White House, …” Since then, Trump has deferred his past plans. He now plans on knocking down the East Wing and has taken action in doing so. The BBC has affirmed, “Crews began demolishing parts of the structure on Monday, and two administration officials have earlier told the BBC’s US partner CBS that it will be completely torn down by the weekend.”  The demolition allows the builders to build a ballroom. However, this very expansion is causing another divide in the country.

Trump’s motives

Regarding others’ assumptions, Trump exclaims that his motives are good. Adding a ballroom is finally allowing the White House to host larger events. In the past, the White House has had to host events using a sizeable tent; this is a necessity. Previous events hosted by the White House would typically take place about 100 yards from the entrance of the White House. However, the White House Ballroom has more space and can accommodate a higher capacity of people, ranging from 650 to 999, as Trump announced. Concerning the East Room, which accommodates 200 people.

Trump himself isn’t funding this ballroom. Multiple investors and companies have invested in this cause. The BBC interviewed Richard Painter, who used to be the chief ethics lawyer in the Bush White House from 2005 to 2007, where he stated, “It’s using access to the White House to raise money. I don’t like it,” he added. “These corporations all want something from the government.” The contributions from these companies can give them leverage over the White House that no one should have. 

Others’ Opinions

 Veronica Peres, a democrat, has implemented, “He (Trump) initially states that the ballroom being built wouldn’t touch or be next to the East Wing. He is demolishing history. He said what he was building would be adjacent to the White House.” The White House has been deemed a non-historical building. This allows construction to be dealt with and is what Trump has been declaring for the past several weeks. However, even though declared non-historic, the majority of previous presidents have refrained from rebuilding the White House. Changes haven’t been made in almost 100 years because to them, it is historical and should not be touched. This is what causes many U.S. citizens to feel that Trump’s motives may be questionable. Some say he’s doing this to abuse his power and feed his ego. They believe that he will do whatever he wants for self-assurance. 

People also say that companies donating to the White House for this cause would use their leverage to their advantage. They also have mixed feelings about whether people should be allowed to donate at all.  A Colonia High School student, Amaya Fernandes, claims, “I think they should be allowed to donate. But, I think that people would abuse their power in doing so.” It’s challenging to have a firm opinion on donations to the White House for numerous reasons.