As the recent government shutdown got underway in October, common sense might have suggested that Donald Trump would be preoccupied with finding a solution. That was not the case, however: The president instead focused on destroying the White House East Wing to make room for a massive new ballroom.
The Republican had previously assured the public that the elaborate vanity project wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing White House structure, but like so many of his promises, this — like the East Wing itself — was quickly discarded. At about the same time, the price tag for the ballroom climbed to $300 million, up 50% from the original estimate.
Behind the scenes, more troubles emerged. Trump handpicked architect James McCrery, who runs a small firm known for its work designing Catholic cathedrals, and soon after started to expand his ambitions. The New York Times reported, “What started as a 500-seat ballroom connected to the East Wing grew to 650 seats. Next, [the president] wanted a 999-seat ballroom, then room for 1,350.”
The report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW, added that Trump was eyeing a blueprint for a ballroom that would be “much larger than the West Wing and the Executive Mansion.”
This dovetailed with a related Washington Post report that went on to note, “Multiple administration officials have acknowledged that Trump has at times veered into micromanagement of the ballroom project, holding frequent meetings about its design and materials. A model of the ballroom has also become a regular fixture in the Oval Office.”
When the shambolic process did not sit well with McCrery, it became time to bring in a new architect. NBC News reported:
The White House has brought in a new architect to work on President Donald Trump’s ‘vision’ for his massive $300 million ballroom project, officials said Thursday.
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Shalom Baranes, head of Shalom Baranes Associates, has ‘joined the team of experts to carry out President Trump’s vision on building what will be the greatest addition to the White House since the Oval Office — the White House Ballroom,’ White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.
NBC News quoted a White House official, whose identity has not been independently verified by MS NOW, who claimed that McCrery remains as a “valuable consultant” on the project, adding, “This is not a replacement but rather a passing of the baton.”
This is a curious metaphor, suggesting that Trump’s original handpicked architect is, in fact, being replaced, since someone else is now carrying the baton.
Regardless, it seems likely that the president’s new architect should prepare himself for an endeavor in which Trump will be guiding his hand, ensuring this vanity project — a wildly unnecessary addition that will sit empty for most of the year and will only be used occasionally by the hyperelite — meets his evolving standards.
Whether the president will ever devote this much attention to governing and policymaking is unclear.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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