BRICK BY BRICK

Trump Is Building More Than a Ballroom—He’s Claiming the White House Forever

He’s making himself permanent.

opinion

Big, sore-thumb, a--hole buildings have become Donald Trump’s signature brand, and part and parcel of his public identity. His aesthetic is not just about vulgarity, but an opposing force—so of course he would build in Washington. Of course, he would look to reconfigure the White House! The White House ballroom, however, will not be completed—if it’s completed—until the end of his term. So if he’s not going to be able to get much use out of it, what’s its real use? Just being able to build it, for one thing. Nothing motivates Trump so much as provoking a fight and then winning it (or just prolonging it). His skills here are relentlessness; his true pleasure, nearly in a sexual sense, comes with crushing his opponents, disregarding civility and the rules of the game. Plus, he has additional expertise when it comes to actually building something in the face of people trying to stop him. The more you build, the harder it is to stop you. Doing most of the things that presidents have to do on a daily basis—so boring!—doesn’t give him pleasure. He barely pays attention. But having a big building project restores him. His ballroom will tower over the White House. It will effectively be the White House. The perpetual Trump White House. Will anyone even remember what used to stand in its place?

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