Democrats are planning to radically change or even tear down Donald Trump’s planned $300 million, corporate-backed White House ballroom project if they can retake Congress and the presidency, arguing the ongoing construction project should be converted into something more egalitarian.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland has proposed renaming the space the “Democracy Matters Ballroom” and transforming it into a museum on American democracy, including efforts to “thwart popular democracy” such as the January 6 MAGA riot at the Capitol.
“This is a space that’s owned by the people and that serves the people,” Raskin told NBC News. “So, it should be used opposite of what Trump has in mind, which is for the American aristocracy and plutocracy to gather.”
Saikat Chakrabarti, who is running to take over the seat of outgoing former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told the outlet the ballroom should become a Smithsonian-affiliated museum focused on “corruption and autocracy,” including by highlighting the Trump-aligned corporations, tech companies, and government contractors who have donated to help build the ballroom.
Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee has suggested it would be a good idea to tear down the ballroom altogether rather that let a “gigantic blob” dedicated to Trump dominate the White House grounds.
The president unilaterally, and by his own admission unnecessarily, has demolished large parts of the East Wing to build the ballroom.
Trump insists that presidents dating back centuries have wanted more space at the White House to hold grand state events. At present, large-scale functions often feature temporary tents on the White House campus.
“For 150 years-plus they’ve wanted to have a ballroom and it never happened because they’ve never had a real estate person,” Trump recently said.
Critics have latched on the opulent ballroom effort as a sign of the president’s close ties with the corporate world and removed from the concerns of regular Americans, pointing to instances such as the president holding a lavish fundraiser for the project with corporate execs while thousands were out of work because of the government shutdown.
Americans largely do not support the effort to demolish the East Wing for the ballroom, polling shows.
