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A respected American historian has strong feelings about what the Founding Fathers thought of President Donald Trump’s new giant White House ballroom.
Edward Lengyel, who served as chief historian for the White House Historical Association during President Trump’s first term, reacted to the sudden demolition of the East Wing to make way for the construction of a 90,000-square-foot White House Ballroom, which is currently expected to cost about $300 million.
During an appearance on CNN on Thursday, October 23, Lengyel, 57, predicted that President Trump will bring “more and more surprises in the future” and hinted that the White House renovation project could extend beyond the East Wing and impact the historic 19th-century executive mansion.
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Lengel also suggested that if such a large new building were built on the White House campus, the main residence would “essentially become a large ballroom annex.”
“Now your attention is going to be drawn to the huge banquet hall, which actually has one man’s name engraved on it,” Lengyel said. “It would overshadow the Executive Mansion and turn it into more of a presidential residence.”
The historian said much of his career has focused on America’s founding fathers, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, adding that, as he understands, “all of the founders would have been disgusted by this.”
Following Lengyel’s comments, ABC News, citing unnamed administration officials, reported that the ballroom will literally bear Trump’s name, noting that insiders have already begun calling it the “Donald J. Trump Presidential Ballroom.”
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The White House issued a press release on July 31 announcing a “coveted and exquisite addition” to the White House Ballroom, but President Trump insisted at a press conference the same day that the new structure “will not touch” the East Wing.
“We will not interfere with the current building,” he insisted at the time. “It’s close, but you don’t touch it. And it’s completely respectful of the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”
However, on Monday, October 20, a construction team was seen using a backhoe to demolish the structure in the east wing.
Two days later, the New York Times reported that it had received confirmation from a senior White House official that the entire East Wing area would be demolished. Areas now known to the public include the historic Jacqueline Kennedy Gardens, which were renovated in the 1960s and dedicated to the first lady after her husband’s assassination.
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“President Trump is working 24/7 to make America great again, including historic beautification of the White House at no taxpayer expense,” White House Press Secretary Davis Ingle told PEOPLE in an earlier statement.
“These long-needed renovations will benefit generations of future presidents and Americans visiting the House of Peoples,” Ingle added.
