GOP Sycophants Rush To Praise Trump's Gaudy $300M Ballroom Project
Congressional Republicans bent over backward to defend President Donald Trump's unilateral decision to raze the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for his hideously gaudy $300 million ballroom.
Republicans mocked Democrats, who are outraged that Trump decided to demolish an entire segment of the White House to build a ballroom corruptly funded by donors who have business before the federal government.
"He put up some of his own money," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said of the project, even though we have no idea how much Trump—who notoriously stiffs his contractors—actually gave to the project. "You would think, 'Well gee whiz, at least they could agree to that, it's not even taxpayer money, it's gonna be a permanent renovation that will enhance the White House for all future presidents."
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Unfortunately for Scalise, Americans do not agree with that assessment, with just 23 percent of adults saying they think the ballroom will have a positive impact on the White House, according to a YouGov survey.
But Scalise continued his whiny tirade.
"They say no to everything he does," Scalise said. "Because they just are angry about the results of the election from last year."
Yes, we are angry. But it's because every day Trump does something so egregiously corrupt and illegal that it’s leading this country into banana republic territory.
"Presidents have routinely renovated and expanded the White House over the last century. The faux outrage from the Left is a deflection from the Schumer Shutdown," Trump bootlicker Rep. Andy Biggs wrote in a post on X. "Leftists are severely afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome," the Arizona Republican claimed.
Of course, those projects had approval from Congress, input from historic preservation boards, and were not funded by a corrupt pay-to-play scheme. But okay.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also mocked Democrats' outrage.
"I’m shaking right now. The humanity!" he wrote in a sarcastic post on X that featured images from past White House renovations.
And in his haste to defend Trump, Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee wrote an idiotic post on X in which he posted an image of the White House being demolished along with the text, "Someone needs to stop the @realDonaldTrump administration from destroying the @WhiteHouse. Oh wait this was during the basketball court construction during the Obama administration. #nevermind"
Of course, the photo Burchett posted was NOT from Obama's basketball court "construction"—which actually wasn't construction at all but rather converting an existing tennis court so that he could shoot some hoops while Republicans painted him as the antichrist because his skin wasn't white.
Burchett ultimately deleted the post and put in the correct time the photo took place, which was during the Truman administration. But that still doesn't make the point he thinks he's making, as Truman had to renovate the White House because it was structurally unsound. And he did so in conjunction with historic preservation boards that worked to reuse existing decorative elements in the new building, and with congressional approval and funding.
According to the Truman presidential library, "The Truman renovation retained the original walls, the third floor and the roof, while removing, and then reinstalling, the interiors within a skeleton of steel structural beams on a new concrete foundation."
Trump, meanwhile, took a literal excavator to the structure—and is now blocking the press from seeing the destruction as it unfolds.
Only one Republican had the sense to say that, actually, razing a major portion of the White House to build a gilded ballroom amid a shutdown when many federal workers aren't getting paid is not a great look.
“We’re in the middle of a shutdown," North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said. "Got a couple of other things going on that we should probably focus on ahead of a building project.”
Of course, Tillis is retiring, so he no longer has to lick Trump's boots like his fellow GOP colleagues, who are afraid that speaking out against Dear Leader will cost them their seats in Congress—or worse.
Because, say it with me now: They're all cowards.
Trump Cabinet Nominee Withdraws Over (Sane) January 6 Comments
Kathleen Sgamma, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Bureau of Land Management, sent shockwaves throughout Washington, D.C., on Thursday after withdrawing her name just hours before her confirmation hearing.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah announced Sgamma’s withdrawal at the start of the hearing, but Politico reported that her decision came after investigative outlet Documented published a 2021 memo where the oil and gas lobbyist condemned Trump’s role in spreading misinformation about the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
“I am disgusted by the violence I witnessed yesterday and President Trump’s role in spreading misinformation that incited it. I’m disgusted he discredited all the good work he did reorienting the judiciary back toward respect for the rule of law and constitution by dishonoring the vote of the People and the rulings of those very same judges on his numerous challenges,” the memo quotes Sgamma saying.
Sgamma likely withdrew her nomination not because she’s still upset with Trump, but because the leak of her past comments is embarrassing for both of them. After all, she knew about the Capitol attack when she was nominated and seemed totally on board with Trump’s energy agenda at the time.
While her comments about the insurrection were out of step with today’s GOP, they reflected the outrage that many Republicans shared in the immediate aftermath. And though Sgamma distanced herself from Trump at that time, she’s certainly no liberal—she even contributed to Project 2025.
Trump has continued defending the insurrectionists, calling them “patriots” and even pardoning them on Day 1 of his second term. He’s since doubled down on his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, insisting that anyone who refuses to spread his lies is the real problem. And it seems that Sgamma has now bought into Trump’s propaganda.
“Unfortunately, at this time, I need to withdraw my nomination. I will continue to support President Trump and fight for his agenda to Unleash American Energy in the private sector,” Sgamma said in her resignation statement.
While some Republican senators told Politico they weren’t given a heads-up about the withdrawal, some Trump allies, including former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, suggested that Sgamma’s withdrawal was inevitable.
“Individuals who know their views don’t align with the president… cause needless harm and conflict, hindering the president’s agenda,” he wrote on X.
Sgamma’s resignation marks the third Trump cabinet pick to either withdraw or have their nomination pulled.
Earlier, the White House backed off nominating Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York for United Nations ambassador, fearing losing a reliable GOP vote in their razor-thin House majority. Similarly, David Weldon’s nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was pulled once it became clear he didn’t have the votes to get confirmed.
With the Bureau of Land Management overseeing energy production on federally owned lands—a key part of Trump’s second-term priorities—it remains to be seen whether his energy agenda will take another hit following Sgamma’s withdrawal.
While her decision may have been political, it also highlights the ongoing consequences of the insurrection, raising questions about whether there’s truly a divide between Trump and those who refuse to embrace his false election claims.
Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.