Sheer Assholery
The Trump White House has rolled out a new version of a page on its official website about the history of the building to tout the president’s controversial ballroom project — while gratuitously trolling the last three Democratic presidents.
Based on internet archives, the longstanding webpage appears to have been updated yesterday, amid growing criticism of the demolition of the building’s East Wing. The updated version of the page calls it the “East Wing Expansion.”
The webpage includes a “Major Events Timeline” that purports to be a history of the White House itself. It begins normally enough with the building’s design and construction, its reconstruction after the War of 1812, and other historical highlights until … those come to a screeching halt in 1998:
From out of nowhere, the Monica Lewinsky scandal is slotted in as a key moment in the history of the White House. “The Oval Office trysts fueled impeachment for obstruction,” the caption reads, stretching to find the tie-in to the history of the building.
From there, it only gets worse. Much worse:
After the potshots at Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden, Hunter Biden, and trans Americans, the timeline has four entries for 2025 alone, all various gaudy additions by Trump. No mention of the East Wing demolition, which the timeline dubs as “renovations.”
As so often is the case with right-wing trolling, it’s highly self-conscious, intended to get a rise from foes and knowing chuckles from allies. It isn’t some peel-back-the-curtain glimpse into the inner workings of the MAGA mind. It’s just an expression of its core asshole-ism.
Covering the trolling as news sometimes feels like a school newspaper reporting on the latest graffiti in the bathroom. And yet …
The White House website — like the East Wing (RIP) — is a public good. The staffers doing the trolling are public employees. The history of the White House as a building is a shared national story that parallels our greatest achievements, conflicts, and tragedies. Its history is our collective experience, which isn’t as tangible of a public good as the bricks and mortar, but can be vandalized just the same.
The Destruction: East Wing Edition
In related developments:
- Trump has dramatically upped the cost of the ballroom in recent days from $200 million to $300 million to $350 million.
- In the midst of the government shutdown, the White House press secretary declared: “At this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the president’s main priority.”
- An August profile of President Trump’s architect for the ballroom project, James C. McCrery II, suggests we had more warning this was coming than I realized. The piece, in an architecture newsletter, called it a “controversial plan to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom to replace the White House’s East Wing” that “threatens to permanently disfigure the White House and its grounds.”
The Retribution: Letitia James Edition
Ahead of the arraignment of Letitia James today in her politicized mortgage fraud prosecution:
- ABC News: Evidence appears to undercut claims against Letitia James, prosecutors found
- NYT: “[I]t is becoming clear that creating the trappings of criminality — the headlines, the scrutiny, the reputational damage — is as much a part of the formula as any realistic chance of conviction.”
- James’ lawyers notified the court that they will be challenging the lawfulness of Lindsey Halligan’s appointment as U.S. attorney and suggested her challenge should be combined with the similar challenge by former FBI Director James Comey in his own politicized criminal case.
- James also brought Halligan’s Signal chat with Lawfare reporter Anna Bower to the court’s attention, asking for it to order Halligan to preserve the messages and stop making “any further disclosures” outside of court.
The Retribution: Adam Schiff Edition
Federal prosecutors in Maryland are hesitant to bring charges against Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) for drummed-up mortgage fraud because they have insufficient evidence. The case has stalled, but, under direction from the deputy attorney general’s office, prosecutors will keep the case open and continue looking for more evidence.
Note that ongoing open-ended investigations are one of the prime ways President Trump can abuse the Justice Department’s powers.
The Retribution: Jack Smith Edition
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith has called the bluff of Hill Republicans, responding to their demand for his testimony behind closed doors with his own demand to make it a public hearing (provided he gets permission from the Trump DOJ to testify and to access his old files so that he can prepare).
The Latest on Venezuela …
- NYT: A Mystery in Trinidad as Bodies Wash Ashore After U.S. Strikes
- WSJ: “The U.S. flew Air Force B-1 bombers near Venezuela on Thursday … only days after other American warplanes carried out an ‘attack demonstration’ near the South American country.”
- International Crisis Group: Beware the Slide Toward Regime Change in Venezuela
- Charlie Savage, on why the summary killing of alleged drug smugglers “stands apart” from President Trump’s many other sweeping claims of executive power.
- Trump himself:
The Corruption: Crypto Pardon
President Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted former CEO of the crypto exchange Binance, which is a key supporter of the Trump family’s own newly launched crypto venture.
Mass Deportations: Star Wars Edition
- In a letter posted on social media, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche threatened to prosecute Democratic officials in California if they arrest federal agents for violating state laws, calling the public chatter about such a move an “apparent criminal conspiracy.”
- Attorneys representing journalists and protestors rushed to court Thursday afternoon with allegations that CBP commander Greg Bovino launched a gas canister at a crowd of protestors in Chicago earlier in the day in potential violation of a federal court order.
- The ACLU is suing on behalf of a D.C. man who briefly detained in handcuffs after trolling National Guard troops by playing the “The Imperial March” from Star Wars:
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