At a time when millions of Americans are having to tighten their belts, with thoughts constantly running of how many bills they have to juggle and questions of how to afford groceries and make rent, there’s a mighty fine project coming soon to the White House.
The demolition of the East Wing of the White House is nearly complete, according to the Associated Press, and the plans President Donald Trump has in store call for a 90,000 square foot ballroom, which will cost $300 million. That estimated price tag is higher than the previous estimate of $200 million, by the way.
This project has struck a discordant note with the general public, something that the Trump White House has dismissed as “manufactured outrage,” and the Treasury Department has gone so far as to ban its staff from sharing photos of the site.
Now Trump’s vision of a grand ballroom to host foreign dignitaries and other types of folks who wouldn’t be caught dead holding the door for the likes of you or me (We the People) isn’t being funded by taxpayer dollars. Trump has said the construction is to be financed with his own funds, as well as by private corporate donors, at no cost to the taxpayer. Those donors include tech giants like Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, as well as the Lutnick Family and Union Pacific.
The public outrage over this is valid. Whether taxpayer money is involved or not is, to many folks, beside the point. What truly resonates is the symbolism: while ordinary Americans are enduring economic hardship, our president seems preoccupied with luxury, spectacle, and self-image. No matter who pays for it, it just feels like a tone-deaf monument to vanity.
The White House’s East Wing was built under Theodore Roosevelt’s watch in 1902, and like all structures that have withstood a great deal of time, it has been renovated, modernized and upgraded.
Demolishing the entire East Wing in order to build a lavish ballroom, to me, not only feels like the epitome of indulgence – and the flaunting of finery – but also represents a widening divide between the ruling class and We the People, whom they claim to serve.
At this time, especially, with a shut-down government, and many benefits for those in need about to hit a freeze, people are not looking for a presidential ballroom; they need a leader who builds trust, opportunity and represents all of them – not just the ones who voted for him.
Many of our lives since the pandemic have been defined by layoffs, housing insecurity, high levels of personal debt and, nationally, inflation is back up to 3%.
Parents have had to skip meals so that their children could eat, and retirees have watched their hard-earned savings erode. To further compound the national ennui, the youth are, by and large, disillusioned, by watching dreams of stability slip further from reach, as wealth inequality grows.
The question becomes with this gilded ballroom to be built: does our president govern for applause and the spectacle of capturing all the headlines instead of governing for the public good?
If social media is to be taken as a serious barometer of the public’s feelings, there is a growing tide among some of Trump’s most ardent supporters as of late, one of a mounting fatigue with the theatrics and self-promotion. Post after post that I have viewed seem to express a disdain for what is seen as a lack of empathy.
A lot of the ones I know personally are people who once admired Trump for his sabotaging of political convention, but as economic realities worsen, those folks have questioned whether his priorities align with theirs.
The presidency is a position of service and represents a sacred trust between whoever is elected to the office and the people – ALL United States citizens – and with that office, there is a moral weight that it carries along with the political power.
In late October of 2025, when we have our president prioritizing an extravagant personal project symbolic of privilege, it sends a message: that the concerns of the average citizen are secondary to image and comfort.
What America needs right now isn’t another chandeliered hall or a space for elites to gather—it needs a renewed sense of empathy, fairness and shared responsibility. Americans want leadership that reflects humility and solidarity, not excess and separation. They want to see their struggles mirrored in their leaders’ choices, not mocked by them.
This ballroom, at the end of the day, is not merely a building, it’s a symbol of misaligned priorities, and it will embody the frustration of a people who feel unseen and unheard.
Many have pointed out on social media the fact that no taxpayer funds will be utilized to build the ballroom, but be that as it may, the emotional cost is real. In an age of deep division and economic pain, Americans are desperate for a president who speaks their language, walks in their shoes, and understands that leadership is not about building monuments to oneself, but about building hope for everyone else.
