I am shocked that red hat Americans are not upset at the sight of the East Wing of the White House being bull-dozed whereas it was not announced as part of the plan
I'm old enough to remember the shocked cries of outrage and indignation when Obama moved a bust of Winston Churchill because he was "desecrating the White House." And now, of course, Donald Trump is LITERALLY tearing down part of the White House to build a gaudy and useless "ballroom."
Does anyone in America, including the J6 rioters, believe the reason "King Trump" deserved to be back in the White House was to build a gilded ballroom ala Versailles? Really. It makes you puke.
Did you see the reference about all the gold spray painted shit stuck to the walls of the oval office?!? Someone tracked down the EXACT ITEM to the Home Depot web site 🤪 $18, plus a can of gold spray paint, and you too can have your own trump oval office
I'm surprised he hasn't repackaged the stuff, stamped his name and logo on it, and started selling it from the official presidential website. I guess that's coming.
HAHAHAAA! That is SO Trump! And here I was, thinking that after the fool's out of the Oval Office, the fool's gold could be stripped off and sold as bullion. We'll see--eventually--how much of that gaudy stuff is "real gold."
But at least it may not have cost American taxpayers as much as we feared....
I think it was one of Heinlein's characters who visited Versailles and said that if Al Capone had seen it, he would've gone back home and built one twice as big, 'cause he couldn't possibly create anything gaudier or in poorer taste.
Judging from what we've seen so far in the White House decorations, that's what we're going to get in "our" new ballroom.
I always loved Piper. Shame he was not around longer to write more. The little Fuzzy, Future History stuff was good. Kalvan was interesting, but I did not like the way the follow up (written by someone else years later) ended, even though it was realistic.
Agreed. Piper's wry sense of humour could add just the right touch.
I read a sequel to the Fuzzy Papers written after Piper's death, and "First Cycle," written by Piper and expanded by Michael Kurland. I didn't know of a Kalvan sequel, though.
The pictures of the White House being torn apart ought to be on the front pages of every newspaper and lead national news stories every night. But they aren’t. So we need to share them, especially with the self-described “patriotic Americans” who are offended by changes in what they perceive as “sacred history” and “traditional values.” If you can’t start a civil discussion about their perceptions and feelings and listen to them on any other kind of ongoing destruction, try to engage them on this actual physical destruction and see where it goes from there.
Photos are on the main page of the BBC, NYT, and the Washington Post today. They were displayed on AOL and the main screen of Firefox yesterday. The WP article points out that DonnyJon promised that the construction wouldn't interfere with the existing White House.
That ballroom will make an excellent museum to the time we defeated the president who would be king and proved democracy is no pushover. Among other things there should be plenty of room to house a display of No Kings signage and memorabilia of the disgrace of the Republican Party.
What a treasure you are. So knowledgeable and so sharp. My mind is boggled, too, as I wrote about today: "How can we let this deranged person stay in office? What’s the matter with us? Where are wised-up leaders who realize the world has changed since the rules we go by were set, where, for civilization to survive, some creativity outside the Constitutional box could be called for?" https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/p/humanity-needs-to-get-itself-moving
I am surprised that US doesn't have protections for historical buildings. Elsewhere one would have to obtain permissions (from independent bodies of historians, architects, art historians, etc) to even make negligible modifications.
I have many friends in the US that work in exactly that field: but those who had been working for the government were out of a job almost immediately after this lunatic Russian agent and his enablers got back in. One of the very first phrases to be banned from federal documents and websites was « cultural heritage ». I have no words to express my feelings…
This is what I and many of my friends have been saying. It seems like it should take an Act of Congress to desecrate the WH. But then again, the House seems wholly inoperable now with Johnson at the helm.
I read in a couple of other substack columns this morning (maybe HRC or Hubble) that there is an approval process with guardians of such things, but as it always the case, they are ignoring them and doing what they want. Check out those two columns for the detail, it will make you sick. They have even forbidden people in another close by building form taking pictures from that building because they fear the outrage. Probably too late as the destruction has begun, and the pictures are out.
Heather Cox Richardson's substack post for today (posted late at night the day before, usually) went into detail about the rules for DC public buildings and heritage buildings and how not one of them was complied with by Trump. Probably Louis XIII didn't pay much attention to zoning regulations when he built Versailles, either - though at least he moved out of the center of town to build...
"It was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans for the agency's review and approval. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and the commission's offices are closed because of the government shutdown."
The UN world monuments. Is the White House one of them? Even if it isn’t, surely it’s an impeachable offense. It shows the “patriotism” of the Republican Party and Trump’s wealthy donors.
There are no UNESCO World Heritage Sites in DC. The nearest is the paired entry of Jefferson's architectural designs at Monticello and the University of Virginia.
This has been the M.O. of the administration since Day One. They break the law until someone stops them, and if nobody stops them, they just continue breaking the law. Whether something is legal makes no difference to them. It's a mad dash to enact as much destruction and alteration of the foundation of American politics.
We do have protections, especially for the historic White House which is the crown jewel of our seat of government. As Robert Hubbell posted this morning in his Today’s Edition Substack:
Trump’s remodeling of the White House is unlawful and based on lies—like almost every other aspect of his administration. While every president is allowed to make modifications to the interior living space of the White House, structural changes to the White House must be cleared through the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC).
Trump has not obtained approval from the NCPC for the demolition of portions of the East Wing or construction of the ballroom—which will increase the size of the existing White House complex by 60%.
Trump claimed that construction of the ballroom would not “touch” the existing White House complex. Trump said, “It’ll be near it but not touching it—and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.”
As the photo in the WSJ article above shows, a portion of the East Wing has been torn down. In other words, Trump lied about the unlawful remodeling “not touching” the existing White House.
The White House does not belong Trump, or to any president who resides in the White House during their presidency. And while modifications and modernization are necessary and appropriate from time to time, they are controlled by Congress and the NCPC (among other federal agencies).
Trump suggests that he is exempt from that oversight because he is (allegedly) using “private” money to fund the demolition and new construction. Even if true, there is nothing in the existing oversight scheme that creates an exception for “privately funded” modifications to federal buildings in D.C.
Trump is simply ignoring federal law and congressional oversight in desecrating “The People’s House.” In prior presidencies, Congress and the media would be in meltdown mode if a president violated federal law daily. The acquiescence and silence of corporate media in the face of Trump’s ongoing lawlessness is one of the great disappointments of this era.
But “we the people” are outraged and are not giving Trump a “free pass” to engage in unconstitutional behavior merely because he has done so in the past. We will add the desecration of the White House to our list of grievances for the next No Kings Day protest.
And when we learn which billionaire oligarch is funding the desecration of the White House, we should engage in a massive boycott of that billionaires source of wealth.
DonnyJon has hated protections like this for at least 30 years. They got in his way as a developer in Manhattan. The Times documented several cases in which he promised to save historically significant features of buildings and then destroyed them.
He would have trampled on any effort to restrain him. Exactly as he is doing with everything else, from the most important to the most inane. Let’s not forget that he thinks of himself as the greatest real estate genius.
It was very illegal. The White House is owned by the federal government, and he should have gone through a number of agencies, plus Congress. But he didn’t, and nothing will happen to him.
It was a public statement that he can do whatever he wants. I am both saddened by what he did, and terrified of what might be next.
Typical of historical preservation that enforcement falls into the category of wishful thinking or at best a fine if the project is not stopped at its outset
Unfortunately, most of the trump supporters we know watch Fox News, and Fox will never show the bulldozing of the East Wing of the White House. They also have never heard about the Trump meme coin or the fancy dinner Trump held for those who spent the most on the meme coins. Trust me on this. We know some of these people, and we can report that they live in a comfortable "fact free zone".
Which is a good reason to share these pictures of destruction with them and ask (honestly and with willingness to listen) how seeing the WH actually being torn down makes them feel. If this gets a conversation started about other forms of destruction, all the better. Ignorance isn’t invincible.
That arch is deliberately designed to interrupt the line of sight between the statue of Lincoln and Arlington cemetery, which is located on Lee's old plantation and was originally created to hold the Union dead from the Civil War. The idea was that Lincoln would be staring at Arlington forever. If the arch is actually built and the country recovers from this attempted takeover, funds should be allocated for its demolition as soon as possible.
According to Trump, It is funded entirely by private donors including Trump himself, which raises pay-for-access corruption issues. But aside from that, it doesn't really matter who paid for the desecration of the White House. It matters that it is being desecrated.
Apparently Trump put the screw (mafia-like) on the GAFA brotherhood to foot the bill. They didn’t dare demure for fear of vindictive retaliation. (Sounds familiar ?)
Agree. My take: US taxpayers are footing the bill. Don the Con doesn’t pay for anything, and the “private donations” are being funneled directly into his pocket.
I'm not sure it's just the East Wing that will be torn down. Once it starts, he'll conclude that the rest of the White House is substandard ("can you believe the wiring?") and needs to be torn down and replaced with Trump Palace (or the Gold House) - and let's move the Capitol to West Palm Beach. He needs to be stopped now.
"I am shocked that red hat Americans are not upset at the sight of the East Wing of the White House being bull-dozed whereas it was not announced as part of the plan"
Trump is more firmly attached to reality than his MAGA base.
I don’t think he is “attached to reality” either, but listening to people (including Putin) who tell him he’s wonderful and admired and free to do whatever he wants because he is all-powerful as President. So his id is ruling him, and thus us. Up to us to help show the “patriotic Americans” he flatters into following him what the physical destruction of the WH looks like - and then listen with curiosity to their stories about it, asking only what it symbolizes to them when the part of the WH open to the people is openly being destroyed. Ask why he is doing it and what his remaking of this building to suit his personal preferences means to them? Listen, don’t argue.
The behavior of the Trump inner circle is a perfect example of a positive feedback control loop, which if not broken leads inevitably to disaster. Both for the individual cultists and the object of their adoration.
Trump is on the same path as previous historical megalomaniacs, most notoriously in recent history Adolph Hitler. But unlike Hitler Trump has the ability to literally bring an end to the human race on this planet.
Kindly pay attention to the overarching theme of Krugman’s wonderful post, and give particular thought to the very last line.
"Nearly all men, deceived by a false good and a false glory, allow themselves voluntarily or ignorantly to be drawn towards those who deserve more blame than praise." – Machiavelli.
It should because this is the president of the United States posting this juvenile nonsense. He's clearly sick and getting worse by the day, unrestrained by his bubble of sycophants. Mainstream media just ignores it – perhaps inured by it, but more likely fearful of losing access – and Trump finds ways to exceed the last one.
Once "triggering the libtards" became a moral valour, no news about abominable behavior of Trump would drive his base away. On the contrary. And his opponents know who he is.
A sad conclusion is that the US society is already in a "war scenario". With wars, after those start, arguing/pointing out moral merits or faults of parties involved has no relevance in people's choices "which side they are on".
It’s the biggest unforgivable vulgarity ever to be uttered publicly by a President (even Nixon had the decency to be utterly vulgar in private). How embarrassing for the prestige of the Presidency and for America. Just for that alone he should be impeached.
And a more perfect metaphor for Trump cannot be imagined. That he is terrorizing America with neverending waves of airdropped shit. Over and over for the past 10 years.
The shit-dumping AI piece should have been Exhibit A for the invocation of the 25th Amendment. Is putting out such juvenile garbage the action of a functioning, responsible adult? Should someone so clearly demonstrating the mentality of a 10-year-old boy be wielding the power of the presidency?
Unfortunately, sitting in Canada, the video was not accessible to me, but the description by NBC News and Krugman's three pictures told me enough. I simply cannot understand why a vast majority of Americans, including their politicians, continues to tolerate such juvenile (not to say criminal) behaviour on the part of their President.
I am paying no price to let you know that your attacks here are off-topic and nonconstructive. You have won at nothing other than to make an ass of yourself.
I hear and agree with you to some extent. However, it’s also the case that when a bully’s actions are ignored, they’re sometimes motivated to do something “bigger,” just to get your attention
The third reaction could be praise for the behavior. His father was a bully……. And he was Donald’s role model. So D has never been stopped, so he will never stop. He doesn’t have the self control or the ability to be rational. I am afraid that Americans will never understand this. Just look at what horrible directives Americans will follow!
My father used to make the same claim that Jenn just made, and it probably works with puppies. My experiences as a boy and teenager support your contention.
I always thought that way to go back in 2017. That was the time to ignore him. But the press and TV knew that it attracted eyeballs and it was a losing battle to get them to ignore tRump. Now it’s their livelihood.
That has seemed the MSM's response since Trump1: they're usually flabbergasted by the crazy shit coming out his mouth, and don't know what to say. Which, unfortunately, normalizes it.
But you're right about the shit-dumping video, which can be defended by Trumpists as satire.
Early in his first term, as his scandalous behaviors flooded the news cycles (not putting his businesses in a blind trust, hiring family in White House, taking bribes in the form of personal hotel income from foreign governments and lobbyists, discussing secure matters in his Mar-a-Lago dining room, etc.), one media watcher described it as "a denial of service attack on the media."
Media will perpetually focus on a scandal in the absence of other juicy news stories, but Trump keeps cranking out headline material multiple times a day, so no one story gets any traction.
Trump's shitting on the people cannot be defended in any way and that the entire corporate media's hair isn't on fire about this absolute disgrace proves that they are happy with fascism.
Dr. Krugman, thank you for writing this post. I believe it is a "one off" for you as you normally do not focus so keenly on pure political but more through the lense of an economist. I know I need your help with understanding is happening with this regime as it relates to the world and our economy. I hope you continue to do that.
A loyal reader. You and Heather Cox-Richardson are on my reading list at 6 am in the morning to help with me getting a footing for the day. Thank you for that.
Can we stop using "Biden got old" as the balancing item for a vast array of authoritarian black box initiatives? He was doing the job, and doing it well, and surrounded by capable people. He was getting older, and the concerns were the media response to this and impact on the 2024 election, which was incredibly valid as shown by the Tapper book and everything else. It is not an offset for the last 9 months of the current administration, which as PK notes is a bunch of incompetent loyalists afraid to say anything realistic to the mad king.
Yes, but. The number one character trait of any and every White House staff person ought to be the courage to tell the president the truth no matter what. Sadly, there are far too few people with that character trait in any administration. Trump's White House is certainly the most extreme example where everyone appears to be a liar and worse, but for the sake of our democracy we should all be working to bring that number to zero in every White House staff. Good government requires facts and truth.
No, because it happened. Biden's ego got in the way of cold, hard analytical thinking. It wasn't the MSM only, they got onto the story because of voters' concerns. Biden also engaged in megalomaniacal thinking..."I'm the only one that can beat Trump"...and his circle catered to that notion for their own gain. Much less toxic than what is occurring now, but in many ways the same.
I wouldn’t say Biden was doing the job well. He was maintaining the status quo and he wasn’t batsh** crazy. He wasn’t Trump, but he wasn’t taking the actions that needed to be taken either
I was born in 1946, the same year as Trump, and I readily acknowledge that I have certain behaviors and preferences that my adult kids may call "eccentric," but I figure at this age I'm entitled to be true to myself. I'm also engaged every day in trying to gain perspective on important events in the world and close to home. Trump exhibits something very different that can't be attributed to aging alone, if age is even a factor. He is fundamentally menacing, diabolical, destructive, and deluded and now, at this age and in this position, completely unrestrained.
The shit-dumping imagery said it all, like he thinks that's funny, or somehow appropriate, for the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES to crap all over Americans indiscriminately. The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is knocking down the East Wing of the White House. It's a historical monument, undoubtedly protected by law, and yet he will take a wrecking ball to it, as if in a blind fury or retribution for the No Kings protests, and no one dares try to stop him (at least I haven't read about attempts to restrain this demolition in court). The "dignity of the office" is a joke to him. It's all about power -- turning the nation's wealthiest business leaders into supplicants, and making shameless grift and corruption to gain personal wealth the order of the day.
Prof. Krugman theorizes that Trump actually believes his lies and has "lost touch with reality," like Portland is "war ravaged," at least in part because he lives in a sycophancy bubble where no one will tell him he's wrong, but I think it's also possible he knows when he's lying and enjoys obsessively repeating the mantra of his lies. He knows military force is available to him in one form or another, and he's proven he can order random killings of foreigners. Retribution is a mighty cudgel he loves using, and he apparently no longer cares if he's hated even by MAGA people who used to treat him like he walks on water. What we couldn't imagine when Trump took the oath of office a mere nine months ago we certainly know now: there are no laws or Presidential norms, let alone his own sworn oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution," that he respects or will honor.
It’s boycott o’clock. It doesn’t have to be perfectly orchestrated. The power , 💵 is in our pockets. The way to put the brakes on this is to quit unnecessary spending and consumption of corrupt media, including traditional sources, social and especially AI. We don’t have to wait for some consultants to tell us what to do, or target Black Friday. The time is NOW, not after more people are hurt
So well written. True. ❤️ But to brief Trump is because, as another commentator wrote, he has never had touch with reality. He is deeply personality disturbed. What we see is the cult of Trump as is the title of cult expert Dr Steven Hassan's book on this topic. He and plenty of other mental health experts have tried to warn for Donald Trump since before the 2016 election and 2017 with the book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.
Major problem we have is the Appellate Courts and the “Supreme” Court are providing the regime with legal cover by reversing the District Court decisions.
Sooner or later your fantasies and delusions bump into hard realities.
That is why the scholarly approach has a much lower failure rate than these self delusions.
For the scholar the question is not to prove that tax cuts for the rich are good or that tax cuts for the rich are bad, for the economy. The scholar asks: "what will tax cuts for the rich do to the economy"? Then the scholar seek out all relevant information and does a careful and unbiased analysis of verifiable facts - and arrive at a conclusion. Whatever the results are; the scholar will accept it as the best approximation to truth currently available.
Scholarly analysis is a lot of hard work and often very humbling. It's not uncommon to realize how wrong some of your previous assumptions were, and how little you know. You also often have to accept that there are so many other people who know a lot more than you and "are smarter" than you. But when you accept that you can shut up listen, and learn so much more. Not listen as in mindless acceptance, but listen as in gaining insights and new thoughts to explore.
I appreciate the opportunity to learn from you Professor Krugman,
I'd just add the scientific approach is also based on curiosity, on eagerness to learn, which presumes /acknowledges one doesn't know everything. And it's more fun than just mouthing off what others think...
Trump is being produced and directed, like in The Apprentice, though of course they're using his only gift, an apparently innate and insatiable need to insult people, attack them and generally fuck with them and put them down, to accomplish the sick goals of the two-headed Republican coalition of laissez-faire capitalists and evangelical social conservatives. Scarily, some of the capitalists, the tech bros, have converged with evangelicals and have become apocalypticists, craving a purifying (as they see it) societal meltdown that ends in Jesus riding in on a cloud or a dystopian, billionaires' fraternity of feudal lords depending on which side you're on.
the United States of America lost its way re democratic rule decades ago. The end result is what we are now. How many people are willing to give up their “lifestyles” to be in alignment with ethical guidelines and not consumerism? To rebuild with actual sacrifice? It’s too easy to dump our woes on one man. Trump is representative of capitalism with no limits on behavior or greed. No kings? What does that even mean. The issue is the co dependency on corruption and corrupt institutions that need to be massively reformed. That does not happen overnight and without sacrifice and pain. Every citizen needs to examine their own motives for every action they take daily and reform themselves and their values and flaws. It’s far too easy to blame one man who exemplifies what we all know is destructive and delusional. Citizen heal thyself.
"How many people are willing to give up their “lifestyles” to be in alignment with ethical guidelines and not consumerism? To rebuild with actual sacrifice?"
----
To me, the saddest part is that people can achieve a lot without "actual sacrifice" of their lifestyles, just a little more awareness. A lot of the low-hanging fruit are habits that are destructive in mass terms but not personally critical to people's lives: The "sacrifice" may be only taking the effort to adopt a different habit (which is a temporary mental hassle). For example, rather than going full vegan, there's value in eating *less* meat or animal products. Change the thermostat by 1°. Get more drought-tolerant plants and water less. Start biking to work just on the nicest weather days.
Consumer markets respond on the margins. This excellent 9-year-old video describes what is needed for EVs to make a difference in the oil market (and it was impressively prescient...except that it completely missed the EV juggernaut that is China):
Heavily agreed. I think it's bewildering so many people have voted for him in power, despite knowing how much (or little) he is capable of. I wrote about it here:
I am shocked that red hat Americans are not upset at the sight of the East Wing of the White House being bull-dozed whereas it was not announced as part of the plan
I'm old enough to remember the shocked cries of outrage and indignation when Obama moved a bust of Winston Churchill because he was "desecrating the White House." And now, of course, Donald Trump is LITERALLY tearing down part of the White House to build a gaudy and useless "ballroom."
Does anyone in America, including the J6 rioters, believe the reason "King Trump" deserved to be back in the White House was to build a gilded ballroom ala Versailles? Really. It makes you puke.
Not that it will be a la Versailles. It will be a la Home Depot.
It'll be an ATM. Lots of "donations" to stage events there, all respectable and patriotic and totally not corrupt pay to play
Did you see the reference about all the gold spray painted shit stuck to the walls of the oval office?!? Someone tracked down the EXACT ITEM to the Home Depot web site 🤪 $18, plus a can of gold spray paint, and you too can have your own trump oval office
I'm surprised he hasn't repackaged the stuff, stamped his name and logo on it, and started selling it from the official presidential website. I guess that's coming.
Trump’s Oval Office redesign includes $58 Home Depot plastic spray-painted gold, internet sleuths say | The Independent https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-oval-office-home-depot-gold-b2823190.html
HAHAHAAA! That is SO Trump! And here I was, thinking that after the fool's out of the Oval Office, the fool's gold could be stripped off and sold as bullion. We'll see--eventually--how much of that gaudy stuff is "real gold."
But at least it may not have cost American taxpayers as much as we feared....
I think it was one of Heinlein's characters who visited Versailles and said that if Al Capone had seen it, he would've gone back home and built one twice as big, 'cause he couldn't possibly create anything gaudier or in poorer taste.
Judging from what we've seen so far in the White House decorations, that's what we're going to get in "our" new ballroom.
Hi George. Literary footnote: your reference is actually from a novel by H. Beam Piper, called "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen."
It's a good story, which I've read multiple times. And the quote is ABSOLUTELY correct for Trump's self-reverent attitude.
Right. I have two copies in my bookcases. Love it. I bought everything Piper wrote that I could track down.
I always loved Piper. Shame he was not around longer to write more. The little Fuzzy, Future History stuff was good. Kalvan was interesting, but I did not like the way the follow up (written by someone else years later) ended, even though it was realistic.
Agreed. Piper's wry sense of humour could add just the right touch.
I read a sequel to the Fuzzy Papers written after Piper's death, and "First Cycle," written by Piper and expanded by Michael Kurland. I didn't know of a Kalvan sequel, though.
And spending the taxpayers’ money recklessly while at the same time depriving its citizens of affordable healthcare and other necessities.
Other necessities such as food and housing.
The folks who designed Versailles had much better taste than Chump does.
The pictures of the White House being torn apart ought to be on the front pages of every newspaper and lead national news stories every night. But they aren’t. So we need to share them, especially with the self-described “patriotic Americans” who are offended by changes in what they perceive as “sacred history” and “traditional values.” If you can’t start a civil discussion about their perceptions and feelings and listen to them on any other kind of ongoing destruction, try to engage them on this actual physical destruction and see where it goes from there.
Photos are on the main page of the BBC, NYT, and the Washington Post today. They were displayed on AOL and the main screen of Firefox yesterday. The WP article points out that DonnyJon promised that the construction wouldn't interfere with the existing White House.
I don't own a TV, so I can't speak about that.
AOL today is asking whether the new ballroom will look like Mar-a-Lago. https://www.aol.com/articles/white-house-demolition-begins-ballroom-150720622.html
That ballroom will make an excellent museum to the time we defeated the president who would be king and proved democracy is no pushover. Among other things there should be plenty of room to house a display of No Kings signage and memorabilia of the disgrace of the Republican Party.
Great idea.
What a treasure you are. So knowledgeable and so sharp. My mind is boggled, too, as I wrote about today: "How can we let this deranged person stay in office? What’s the matter with us? Where are wised-up leaders who realize the world has changed since the rules we go by were set, where, for civilization to survive, some creativity outside the Constitutional box could be called for?" https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/p/humanity-needs-to-get-itself-moving
I am surprised that US doesn't have protections for historical buildings. Elsewhere one would have to obtain permissions (from independent bodies of historians, architects, art historians, etc) to even make negligible modifications.
I have many friends in the US that work in exactly that field: but those who had been working for the government were out of a job almost immediately after this lunatic Russian agent and his enablers got back in. One of the very first phrases to be banned from federal documents and websites was « cultural heritage ». I have no words to express my feelings…
Nor I. I was physically sick when I saw the photos.
This is what I and many of my friends have been saying. It seems like it should take an Act of Congress to desecrate the WH. But then again, the House seems wholly inoperable now with Johnson at the helm.
There are hundreds of things that DonnyJon has done that require an act of Congress to do legally.
Next he'll be adding a Russian Embassy wing.
I read in a couple of other substack columns this morning (maybe HRC or Hubble) that there is an approval process with guardians of such things, but as it always the case, they are ignoring them and doing what they want. Check out those two columns for the detail, it will make you sick. They have even forbidden people in another close by building form taking pictures from that building because they fear the outrage. Probably too late as the destruction has begun, and the pictures are out.
Heather Cox Richardson's substack post for today (posted late at night the day before, usually) went into detail about the rules for DC public buildings and heritage buildings and how not one of them was complied with by Trump. Probably Louis XIII didn't pay much attention to zoning regulations when he built Versailles, either - though at least he moved out of the center of town to build...
"It was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans for the agency's review and approval. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and the commission's offices are closed because of the government shutdown."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-white-house-demolition-trump-ballroom-9.6946487
They were forbidden to take any photos from the USTreasury building next door. It’s unclear how they’d enforce that.
I see now they required demolition workers to sign non-disclosure agreements and not to speak to anyone.
Sounds illegal to me. It IS the people’s house for pities sake.
The UN world monuments. Is the White House one of them? Even if it isn’t, surely it’s an impeachable offense. It shows the “patriotism” of the Republican Party and Trump’s wealthy donors.
Conservatism that hates “cultural heritage”, LOL
There are no UNESCO World Heritage Sites in DC. The nearest is the paired entry of Jefferson's architectural designs at Monticello and the University of Virginia.
They do have protections in place. Congress plus a National Preservation Commission. Trump and his arsewipers ignore them.
This has been the M.O. of the administration since Day One. They break the law until someone stops them, and if nobody stops them, they just continue breaking the law. Whether something is legal makes no difference to them. It's a mad dash to enact as much destruction and alteration of the foundation of American politics.
We do have protections, especially for the historic White House which is the crown jewel of our seat of government. As Robert Hubbell posted this morning in his Today’s Edition Substack:
Trump’s remodeling of the White House is unlawful and based on lies—like almost every other aspect of his administration. While every president is allowed to make modifications to the interior living space of the White House, structural changes to the White House must be cleared through the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC).
Trump has not obtained approval from the NCPC for the demolition of portions of the East Wing or construction of the ballroom—which will increase the size of the existing White House complex by 60%.
Trump claimed that construction of the ballroom would not “touch” the existing White House complex. Trump said, “It’ll be near it but not touching it—and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.”
As the photo in the WSJ article above shows, a portion of the East Wing has been torn down. In other words, Trump lied about the unlawful remodeling “not touching” the existing White House.
The White House does not belong Trump, or to any president who resides in the White House during their presidency. And while modifications and modernization are necessary and appropriate from time to time, they are controlled by Congress and the NCPC (among other federal agencies).
Trump suggests that he is exempt from that oversight because he is (allegedly) using “private” money to fund the demolition and new construction. Even if true, there is nothing in the existing oversight scheme that creates an exception for “privately funded” modifications to federal buildings in D.C.
Trump is simply ignoring federal law and congressional oversight in desecrating “The People’s House.” In prior presidencies, Congress and the media would be in meltdown mode if a president violated federal law daily. The acquiescence and silence of corporate media in the face of Trump’s ongoing lawlessness is one of the great disappointments of this era.
But “we the people” are outraged and are not giving Trump a “free pass” to engage in unconstitutional behavior merely because he has done so in the past. We will add the desecration of the White House to our list of grievances for the next No Kings Day protest.
And when we learn which billionaire oligarch is funding the desecration of the White House, we should engage in a massive boycott of that billionaires source of wealth.
DonnyJon has hated protections like this for at least 30 years. They got in his way as a developer in Manhattan. The Times documented several cases in which he promised to save historically significant features of buildings and then destroyed them.
His promises are worth nothing.
We DO have protections in place. The Washington Urban Planning Commission for one. There are quite a few more. Historic Preservation.
But Trump, true to form, is simply ignoring them. He doesn’t care about rules and laws. It’s time we recognize that.
He would have trampled on any effort to restrain him. Exactly as he is doing with everything else, from the most important to the most inane. Let’s not forget that he thinks of himself as the greatest real estate genius.
It does, Trump has just ignored them, big surprise!
It was very illegal. The White House is owned by the federal government, and he should have gone through a number of agencies, plus Congress. But he didn’t, and nothing will happen to him.
It was a public statement that he can do whatever he wants. I am both saddened by what he did, and terrified of what might be next.
Typical of historical preservation that enforcement falls into the category of wishful thinking or at best a fine if the project is not stopped at its outset
What's also shocking is that it seems that the ballroom will be bigger than the White House.
Unfortunately, most of the trump supporters we know watch Fox News, and Fox will never show the bulldozing of the East Wing of the White House. They also have never heard about the Trump meme coin or the fancy dinner Trump held for those who spent the most on the meme coins. Trust me on this. We know some of these people, and we can report that they live in a comfortable "fact free zone".
That's why I was somewhat happy to see 1500 people turned out at the Villages in Florida Saturday. Not much but its something.
At the Villages? That's more than much!
Which is a good reason to share these pictures of destruction with them and ask (honestly and with willingness to listen) how seeing the WH actually being torn down makes them feel. If this gets a conversation started about other forms of destruction, all the better. Ignorance isn’t invincible.
To build his Throne room/Ballroom/Mausoleum he cut down the southern magnolia Andrew Jackson planted in 1829.
How dare he? Get him impeached before he tears down anything else or puts US further in debt with the Arch.
That arch is deliberately designed to interrupt the line of sight between the statue of Lincoln and Arlington cemetery, which is located on Lee's old plantation and was originally created to hold the Union dead from the Civil War. The idea was that Lincoln would be staring at Arlington forever. If the arch is actually built and the country recovers from this attempted takeover, funds should be allocated for its demolition as soon as possible.
No funds needed.
I'll bring a sledge hammer and chisel. I have a feeling I would have a lot of company.
That is punishable by impalement on an equal size magnolia elsewhere
I volunteer to sacrifice one of the three in my backyard.
Who is footing the bill? Was that part of the Budget appropriation?
According to Trump, It is funded entirely by private donors including Trump himself, which raises pay-for-access corruption issues. But aside from that, it doesn't really matter who paid for the desecration of the White House. It matters that it is being desecrated.
Trump will not contribute a penny.
You're probably right. I'm just reporting what he said.
Apparently Trump put the screw (mafia-like) on the GAFA brotherhood to foot the bill. They didn’t dare demure for fear of vindictive retaliation. (Sounds familiar ?)
Agree. My take: US taxpayers are footing the bill. Don the Con doesn’t pay for anything, and the “private donations” are being funneled directly into his pocket.
Is it a new phase of government for sale?
Yeah and they won't even get naming rights because Trump will claim that for himself.
They SAY the ballroom is being funded by private donations. More dark money.
I believe the word we are looking for is "bribe," what they call "private donations."
Hee hee. You’re right
The oligarchs were asked to pay for the ballroom.
Apple etc are footing the bill. Time for a boycott.
I'm not sure it's just the East Wing that will be torn down. Once it starts, he'll conclude that the rest of the White House is substandard ("can you believe the wiring?") and needs to be torn down and replaced with Trump Palace (or the Gold House) - and let's move the Capitol to West Palm Beach. He needs to be stopped now.
It’s too late to stop him. Congressional Republicans gave him the green light for his rampage.
He's more likely to complain about the plumbing.
Seriously the thought of that idiot bulldozing the peoples’ house makes me ill.
Just wait till the Arc de Trump is rolled out.
Yes! Where is the arch going to be?
Halfway between the Lincoln memorial and Arlington cemetery.
It was, and it’s going to be more gaudy rococo tat from the king of the gilded age, à la Homer Simpson: https://youtu.be/uGM-dY4TzqA?si=4l81bI0pDWnkFvfs
If Fox News isn’t showing it they aren’t like to see what’s happening.
"I am shocked that red hat Americans are not upset at the sight of the East Wing of the White House being bull-dozed whereas it was not announced as part of the plan"
Trump is more firmly attached to reality than his MAGA base.
I don’t think he is “attached to reality” either, but listening to people (including Putin) who tell him he’s wonderful and admired and free to do whatever he wants because he is all-powerful as President. So his id is ruling him, and thus us. Up to us to help show the “patriotic Americans” he flatters into following him what the physical destruction of the WH looks like - and then listen with curiosity to their stories about it, asking only what it symbolizes to them when the part of the WH open to the people is openly being destroyed. Ask why he is doing it and what his remaking of this building to suit his personal preferences means to them? Listen, don’t argue.
As I commented on yesterday’s post:
The behavior of the Trump inner circle is a perfect example of a positive feedback control loop, which if not broken leads inevitably to disaster. Both for the individual cultists and the object of their adoration.
Trump is on the same path as previous historical megalomaniacs, most notoriously in recent history Adolph Hitler. But unlike Hitler Trump has the ability to literally bring an end to the human race on this planet.
Kindly pay attention to the overarching theme of Krugman’s wonderful post, and give particular thought to the very last line.
Thanks, and thank you, Paul Krugman
i really wish I was shocked....
Actually it was but people didn't pay attention. https://www.graphicnews.com/en/pages/47243/architecture-white-house-state-ballroom
"Nearly all men, deceived by a false good and a false glory, allow themselves voluntarily or ignorantly to be drawn towards those who deserve more blame than praise." – Machiavelli.
That shit-dumping video should be way bigger news than it is.
Had a Democratic president (or any Dem elected official) posted that they would be gone by now.
Not only would a Democratic President be gone by now, Democrats would have voted to remove them.
Exactly.
It should because this is the president of the United States posting this juvenile nonsense. He's clearly sick and getting worse by the day, unrestrained by his bubble of sycophants. Mainstream media just ignores it – perhaps inured by it, but more likely fearful of losing access – and Trump finds ways to exceed the last one.
Once "triggering the libtards" became a moral valour, no news about abominable behavior of Trump would drive his base away. On the contrary. And his opponents know who he is.
A sad conclusion is that the US society is already in a "war scenario". With wars, after those start, arguing/pointing out moral merits or faults of parties involved has no relevance in people's choices "which side they are on".
It’s the biggest unforgivable vulgarity ever to be uttered publicly by a President (even Nixon had the decency to be utterly vulgar in private). How embarrassing for the prestige of the Presidency and for America. Just for that alone he should be impeached.
And a more perfect metaphor for Trump cannot be imagined. That he is terrorizing America with neverending waves of airdropped shit. Over and over for the past 10 years.
Couldn’t agree more!
The shit-dumping AI piece should have been Exhibit A for the invocation of the 25th Amendment. Is putting out such juvenile garbage the action of a functioning, responsible adult? Should someone so clearly demonstrating the mentality of a 10-year-old boy be wielding the power of the presidency?
Unfortunately, sitting in Canada, the video was not accessible to me, but the description by NBC News and Krugman's three pictures told me enough. I simply cannot understand why a vast majority of Americans, including their politicians, continues to tolerate such juvenile (not to say criminal) behaviour on the part of their President.
Even Trump's supporters will often agree that he's a giant asshole. 😆
I liked the AI video showing a bald eagle shitting on the shitter. Is there 1 or 2 t’s?
1, unless you spell (and pronounce) it as shite.
I am paying no price to let you know that your attacks here are off-topic and nonconstructive. You have won at nothing other than to make an ass of yourself.
Nope JJ…that was bait for progressive rage and ignoring it is the best response. If you’re looking for progressive rage look elsewhere.
I hear and agree with you to some extent. However, it’s also the case that when a bully’s actions are ignored, they’re sometimes motivated to do something “bigger,” just to get your attention
The third reaction could be praise for the behavior. His father was a bully……. And he was Donald’s role model. So D has never been stopped, so he will never stop. He doesn’t have the self control or the ability to be rational. I am afraid that Americans will never understand this. Just look at what horrible directives Americans will follow!
My father used to make the same claim that Jenn just made, and it probably works with puppies. My experiences as a boy and teenager support your contention.
I always thought that way to go back in 2017. That was the time to ignore him. But the press and TV knew that it attracted eyeballs and it was a losing battle to get them to ignore tRump. Now it’s their livelihood.
That has seemed the MSM's response since Trump1: they're usually flabbergasted by the crazy shit coming out his mouth, and don't know what to say. Which, unfortunately, normalizes it.
But you're right about the shit-dumping video, which can be defended by Trumpists as satire.
Early in his first term, as his scandalous behaviors flooded the news cycles (not putting his businesses in a blind trust, hiring family in White House, taking bribes in the form of personal hotel income from foreign governments and lobbyists, discussing secure matters in his Mar-a-Lago dining room, etc.), one media watcher described it as "a denial of service attack on the media."
Media will perpetually focus on a scandal in the absence of other juicy news stories, but Trump keeps cranking out headline material multiple times a day, so no one story gets any traction.
It’s the “flood the zone” technique.
Trump's shitting on the people cannot be defended in any way and that the entire corporate media's hair isn't on fire about this absolute disgrace proves that they are happy with fascism.
Puppies can be trained.
You are how you act.
The supreme poopthrowing wannabe childking of America.
What’s your problem? I’m allowed to have opinions different from yours.
I don't know J.J. McCullough or you but J.J. is allowed to comment just like you. That's what this is all about.
No one has said you shouldn't express an opinion although it would be helpful if you stick to a topic and avoid personal attacks.
We’re talking about Trump’s descent into madness not your weird fixation on me.
White Christian Nationalist authoritarians (Nazis) Vought and Miller are quite happy to have Trump in a delusional state. It serves their purposes.
Correct.
Project 2025 is running the show. Trump is just their useful idiot.
I'm glad to see someone addressing the real problem: the billionaires who are running this show: Heritage Foundation et.al.
Dr. Krugman, thank you for writing this post. I believe it is a "one off" for you as you normally do not focus so keenly on pure political but more through the lense of an economist. I know I need your help with understanding is happening with this regime as it relates to the world and our economy. I hope you continue to do that.
A loyal reader. You and Heather Cox-Richardson are on my reading list at 6 am in the morning to help with me getting a footing for the day. Thank you for that.
Can we stop using "Biden got old" as the balancing item for a vast array of authoritarian black box initiatives? He was doing the job, and doing it well, and surrounded by capable people. He was getting older, and the concerns were the media response to this and impact on the 2024 election, which was incredibly valid as shown by the Tapper book and everything else. It is not an offset for the last 9 months of the current administration, which as PK notes is a bunch of incompetent loyalists afraid to say anything realistic to the mad king.
Yes, but. The number one character trait of any and every White House staff person ought to be the courage to tell the president the truth no matter what. Sadly, there are far too few people with that character trait in any administration. Trump's White House is certainly the most extreme example where everyone appears to be a liar and worse, but for the sake of our democracy we should all be working to bring that number to zero in every White House staff. Good government requires facts and truth.
No, because it happened. Biden's ego got in the way of cold, hard analytical thinking. It wasn't the MSM only, they got onto the story because of voters' concerns. Biden also engaged in megalomaniacal thinking..."I'm the only one that can beat Trump"...and his circle catered to that notion for their own gain. Much less toxic than what is occurring now, but in many ways the same.
I wouldn’t say Biden was doing the job well. He was maintaining the status quo and he wasn’t batsh** crazy. He wasn’t Trump, but he wasn’t taking the actions that needed to be taken either
He never HAD touch with reality.
I was born in 1946, the same year as Trump, and I readily acknowledge that I have certain behaviors and preferences that my adult kids may call "eccentric," but I figure at this age I'm entitled to be true to myself. I'm also engaged every day in trying to gain perspective on important events in the world and close to home. Trump exhibits something very different that can't be attributed to aging alone, if age is even a factor. He is fundamentally menacing, diabolical, destructive, and deluded and now, at this age and in this position, completely unrestrained.
The shit-dumping imagery said it all, like he thinks that's funny, or somehow appropriate, for the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES to crap all over Americans indiscriminately. The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is knocking down the East Wing of the White House. It's a historical monument, undoubtedly protected by law, and yet he will take a wrecking ball to it, as if in a blind fury or retribution for the No Kings protests, and no one dares try to stop him (at least I haven't read about attempts to restrain this demolition in court). The "dignity of the office" is a joke to him. It's all about power -- turning the nation's wealthiest business leaders into supplicants, and making shameless grift and corruption to gain personal wealth the order of the day.
Prof. Krugman theorizes that Trump actually believes his lies and has "lost touch with reality," like Portland is "war ravaged," at least in part because he lives in a sycophancy bubble where no one will tell him he's wrong, but I think it's also possible he knows when he's lying and enjoys obsessively repeating the mantra of his lies. He knows military force is available to him in one form or another, and he's proven he can order random killings of foreigners. Retribution is a mighty cudgel he loves using, and he apparently no longer cares if he's hated even by MAGA people who used to treat him like he walks on water. What we couldn't imagine when Trump took the oath of office a mere nine months ago we certainly know now: there are no laws or Presidential norms, let alone his own sworn oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution," that he respects or will honor.
“Despotism corrupts the person who submits to it far more than the person who imposes it.” - Alexis deTocqueville
trump is the useful idiot to the evil puppet masters: Miller, Vought, Vance, and Putin.
It’s boycott o’clock. It doesn’t have to be perfectly orchestrated. The power , 💵 is in our pockets. The way to put the brakes on this is to quit unnecessary spending and consumption of corrupt media, including traditional sources, social and especially AI. We don’t have to wait for some consultants to tell us what to do, or target Black Friday. The time is NOW, not after more people are hurt
Yeah, but it's hard to cancel a subscription that you never had in the first place.
If only reality could lose touch with Trump.
So well written. True. ❤️ But to brief Trump is because, as another commentator wrote, he has never had touch with reality. He is deeply personality disturbed. What we see is the cult of Trump as is the title of cult expert Dr Steven Hassan's book on this topic. He and plenty of other mental health experts have tried to warn for Donald Trump since before the 2016 election and 2017 with the book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.
Major problem we have is the Appellate Courts and the “Supreme” Court are providing the regime with legal cover by reversing the District Court decisions.
Not mentioned often enough.
Sooner or later your fantasies and delusions bump into hard realities.
That is why the scholarly approach has a much lower failure rate than these self delusions.
For the scholar the question is not to prove that tax cuts for the rich are good or that tax cuts for the rich are bad, for the economy. The scholar asks: "what will tax cuts for the rich do to the economy"? Then the scholar seek out all relevant information and does a careful and unbiased analysis of verifiable facts - and arrive at a conclusion. Whatever the results are; the scholar will accept it as the best approximation to truth currently available.
Scholarly analysis is a lot of hard work and often very humbling. It's not uncommon to realize how wrong some of your previous assumptions were, and how little you know. You also often have to accept that there are so many other people who know a lot more than you and "are smarter" than you. But when you accept that you can shut up listen, and learn so much more. Not listen as in mindless acceptance, but listen as in gaining insights and new thoughts to explore.
I appreciate the opportunity to learn from you Professor Krugman,
True.
I'd just add the scientific approach is also based on curiosity, on eagerness to learn, which presumes /acknowledges one doesn't know everything. And it's more fun than just mouthing off what others think...
Well said.
Humility is necessary for both truth and enlightenment.
Trump is being produced and directed, like in The Apprentice, though of course they're using his only gift, an apparently innate and insatiable need to insult people, attack them and generally fuck with them and put them down, to accomplish the sick goals of the two-headed Republican coalition of laissez-faire capitalists and evangelical social conservatives. Scarily, some of the capitalists, the tech bros, have converged with evangelicals and have become apocalypticists, craving a purifying (as they see it) societal meltdown that ends in Jesus riding in on a cloud or a dystopian, billionaires' fraternity of feudal lords depending on which side you're on.
the United States of America lost its way re democratic rule decades ago. The end result is what we are now. How many people are willing to give up their “lifestyles” to be in alignment with ethical guidelines and not consumerism? To rebuild with actual sacrifice? It’s too easy to dump our woes on one man. Trump is representative of capitalism with no limits on behavior or greed. No kings? What does that even mean. The issue is the co dependency on corruption and corrupt institutions that need to be massively reformed. That does not happen overnight and without sacrifice and pain. Every citizen needs to examine their own motives for every action they take daily and reform themselves and their values and flaws. It’s far too easy to blame one man who exemplifies what we all know is destructive and delusional. Citizen heal thyself.
"How many people are willing to give up their “lifestyles” to be in alignment with ethical guidelines and not consumerism? To rebuild with actual sacrifice?"
----
To me, the saddest part is that people can achieve a lot without "actual sacrifice" of their lifestyles, just a little more awareness. A lot of the low-hanging fruit are habits that are destructive in mass terms but not personally critical to people's lives: The "sacrifice" may be only taking the effort to adopt a different habit (which is a temporary mental hassle). For example, rather than going full vegan, there's value in eating *less* meat or animal products. Change the thermostat by 1°. Get more drought-tolerant plants and water less. Start biking to work just on the nicest weather days.
Consumer markets respond on the margins. This excellent 9-year-old video describes what is needed for EVs to make a difference in the oil market (and it was impressively prescient...except that it completely missed the EV juggernaut that is China):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOPHHgJgJ2s
Heavily agreed. I think it's bewildering so many people have voted for him in power, despite knowing how much (or little) he is capable of. I wrote about it here:
https://kainesianmacro.substack.com/p/if-not-dictator-why-dictator-shaped
Trump should be impeached for the video where he dumps shit on America, while wearing a crown.