By now, you’ve seen the pictures. The East Wing of the White House is being fully demolished as President Donald Trump begins construction on a massive 90,000-square foot ballroom. (The entire White House, at present, is only 55,000 square feet.) The left sees it as a visual symbol of Trump’s willingness to run roughshod over tradition. The right thinks it’s much ado about nothing. To cast some light on the whole debate and get beyond the partisan spin, I reached out to White house historian and author Kate Brower, who has written extensively about the physical structure and the people who live and work within it.Her reaction can be summed up in two words: “Heartbreaking” and “shocking.” Just about every president has made some changes in the White House, Brower explained, but the ballroom is the largest renovation conducted since President Harry Truman had the place gutted in the late 1940s and early 1950s. (Truman and his family lived at the nearby Blair House while the renovations were going on.)“To me, I just couldn’t have imagined this ever happening,” she said. “And where are the guardrails?” Click through to hear more of our conversation, and learn more White House history.
Want more ball and strike calling—no matter what uniform the batter at the plate is wearing? Check out Chris Cillizza’s Substack and YouTube channel.
