A Ballroom Built on Bloat

The original project was to cost $200 million, provided by private donors. The cost soon jumped to $300 million, then $400 million, now $1 trillion, adding unspecified security and military spaces paid for by you and me. Now they are talking about a West Wing expansion to “balance out” the 90,000 square foot ballroom on the east.

The sickening display of runaway narcissism continues: the ludicrous Arc de Trump, his name on the currency, his face on the passport. It all seems to constitute the biggest heist of public funds in American history. As others have pointed out, the White House is the people’s house, not Trump’s personal domicile. Polls have consistently shown the public’s disapproval of all this. Most Republicans still back it.

Almost everything Trump does or says makes me sick to my stomach. I would happily vomit on the Resolute Desk. Trump produces such strong reactions because he is truly the monarch of hell, the anti-king or, as some would have it, the antichrist. The recent contrast with King Charles couldn’t be more pronounced. He violates all the norms of presidential behavior because his is the culture of the mafia.

The ballroom is the most vivid symbol of all this.  Instead of sitting on their hands the Democrats should make its blatant corruption the token badge of their campaign. Some of them are saying all the right things but with no real zeal or intensity. They give his behavior all the right markers but show little passion. They are also losing the battle over gerrymandering. They look soft, with few exceptions.

Have you seen anything as ridiculous as the proposed Arc de Trump? The gold leaf slathered on the Oval Office? He’s now apparently comparing himself to

Caesar and Alexander the Great, as literally the most influential and powerful person ever to draw breath on the planet—this nonstop breaking his own arm to pat himself on the back. . . . Because he needs these people to tell him in every Cabinet meeting how special and great and smart he is, he begins to believe he’s invulnerable. He begins to believe he’s the smartest person on every topic. He couldn’t even figure out that Iran was going to block the Strait of Hormuz.

We know he thrives on retribution, and his backers know this too. They must buy in to his personal agenda at whatever personal cost. The Democrats should highlight these flunkies and call them out for what they are: ass-kissers and grovelers. Shout ‘em out at every public event and every media opportunity. Jennifer Rubin, a notable anti-Trumper, put it best:

But at some point, they have to man up and be willing to quit, be willing to go before the national audience and say, enough, we cannot, we will not commit war crimes. And by the way, if you wanted an argument for throwing the Republicans out of power in both houses, it’s that they wouldn’t even stop him from committing genocide. That’s what toadies they are.