"The demolition was hardly the most egregious action that Trump has taken as president, but it captured popular and media attention because it was such a clear metaphor: Trump had secretively demolished part of a building that belongs to the people of the United States, treating it as his own. That metaphor may become more potent yet. Recent events suggest that the gaping hole where the East Wing once was may lie there exposed, undeveloped, and contested for quite some time."
"Although Trump had promised over the summer that the project wouldn't "interfere with the current building," workers razed the entire structure, which was constructed in 1902 and expanded in 1942. Trump managed this the same way he has so much in his second term: He simply didn't ask permission from any of the possible relevant authorities, including Congress, and acted so fast that no court could restrain him."
"In a court hearing last week, Richard Leon, a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush, skewered the government lawyers representing the administration against a challenge to the ballroom, which would be as tall as the original executive mansion and have nearly double its footprint. Although a law enables the executive branch to conduct maintenance on the building without congressional authorization, Leon said it was not intended to cover $400 million projects."
Destruction proved easier than construction when the administration bulldozed the East Wing of the White House in October to build a ballroom on the site. The workers razed the entire structure, originally built in 1902 and expanded in 1942, despite earlier assurances that the project would not "interfere with the current building." The president proceeded without seeking authorization from Congress or other authorities and sought donations from private corporations and individuals to fund the work. The demolition drew public attention as a metaphor for treating a public building as personal property. A federal judge questioned whether maintenance authority could justify a roughly $400 million project.
Read at The Atlantic
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