There’s stupid, and then there’s Democrat stupid. Now, I don’t mean stupid as in low IQ—although there are plenty of low IQ Democrats, the same applies to people from all walks of life. Instead, I mean “stupid” in the sense that one has priorities that don’t align with any sane goals, but rather are driven by emotions and desires that bear no relationship to achieving them. There are lots of high-IQ stupid people in this sense.
Democrats own a particular brand of stupid these days: emotional incontinence, which is expressed most commonly as Trump Derangement Syndrome. If Donald Trump is for or does something, it must be stopped or destroyed.
The reaction to the Trump ballroom is a perfect example. The outpouring of rage and despair at the demolition of the East Wing of the White House is something to behold. Ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of America had no idea that the East Wing existed, and there is nothing particularly special about this World War II-era office complex. It doesn’t have a history or iconic architecture like the Executive Mansion or the Old Executive Office Building does.
Its main claim to fame is that the First Lady has an office there and that the PEOC (the nuclear war bunker) is buried deep underneath. In fact, the East Wing was hastily constructed partly to hide the bunker. There’s a reason why TV shows refer to the West Wing—it is where the action is, and the Oval Office is there.
The Oval Office isn’t even original to the White House—it was built at the turn of the 20th century, and a new one replaced it under FDR. The West Wing is iconic. The East Wing is an afterthought.
None of that matters, as the fact that the White House needs a ballroom doesn’t. Currently, large state dinners are held on the White House lawn under tents, and guests have to use Porta Potties. That’s why even the Washington Post endorsed the idea, as have, anonymously, former Obama and Biden officials. The current arrangement doesn’t fit the modern era, where easy travel means large state dinners.
Still, facts and practicalities don’t matter in the age of rage. Which is why a new battle cry for Democrats running for President is emerging: “Destroy the ballroom on Day 1!”
Why, exactly? Will it serve no purpose? Obviously, it will. While most of us can easily live without ballrooms, most of us aren’t presidents who hold state dinners or other large events.
Imagine if the Republicans who despised FDR had decided to tear out the Oval Office that FDR had installed, just because it was a legacy of FDR. It was his symbolic seat of power, so tear it out! How stupid.
But that is the real problem with Trump’s construction of the ballroom, not any of the excuses the Democrats are putting out there.
“Trump decided on his own!” Why yes, yes he did. And there is a reason why the White House is exempt from regulations that would have prevented it—it took two decades to build a small monument to Eisenhower on the Mall because of how cumbersome regulations and reviews are.
“Trump destroyed the East Wing!” Nobody cares. Nobody knew it existed, and the most historical thing that happened there is that Eleanor Roosevelt wrote letters while sitting there. It is an office building for White House functionaries.
“It is privately funded!” So? Isn’t that better than having the taxpayers spend over $300 million to rearrange things for Obama and build him a basketball court?
The real issue is much simpler and easier to grasp: the ballroom will outlast Trump and leave a permanent reminder that he existed. That is obviously part of the attraction for Trump, aside from the utility that will only come to fruition after he leaves office. He wants to leave a mark.
And that is why it must be destroyed. The Democrats despise Donald Trump and want to wipe away all vestiges of his existence.
No sane person would destroy a new building that serves a necessary purpose merely because their predecessor built it. Heck, we can’t even knock down the ugliest building in Washington, D.C., the J. Edgar Hoover building, even though it is also the most reviled by even its occupants.
Swalwell’s demand that presidential candidates promise to tear down the ballroom on “Day 1” is a perfect example of Democratic priorities in the 21st century. Their feelings are hurt, and they want to throw a tantrum.
I suspect that, before the campaign season heats up, presidential candidates will indeed make this stupid pledge. The first one will, then they all will—aside from somebody in the “moderate” lane, such as Rahm Emanuel, should he enter the race.
https://hotair.com/david-strom/2025/10/27/eric-swalwell-democratic-presidential-candidates-must-pledge-to-raze-ballroom-or-else-n3808263