Here’s the problem with fuming over the bricks and mortar that was once the East Wing of the White House: The time and energy should go to understanding and reacting to the damage the administration has already caused to our institutions and ideals.
Here are just a few of them: The chaos the administration is inflicting on higher education, its attacks on court precedents upholding voting rights, disregard for public policy that looks out for farmers and other working people trying to build or maintain a decent middle-class way of life, not to mention the chaos the administration is unleashing around the world.
Here are further examples of Trump-inspired damage (in case you needed more):
– The administration has now killed at least 57 people in the southern hemisphere, blown up in boats that Trump claims (without evidence) were carrying drugs. The fiery murders in open waters were carried out by drones. The deaths have now spread from the coasts of Venezuela and the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean near Mexico.
– An ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan speaking out against tariffs back in 1987 stuck in President Donald Trump’s craw. Reagan’s address undercut Trump’s adoration of tariffs as a bargaining chip, pointing out the limitations of such a strategy, a view also shared by leading economists. The ad so angered Trump that he vowed to hit Canada with new tariffs, a childish reaction untethered from economic principle.
– The administration is itching to send National Guard troops into American cities (or at least those deemed crime-ridden and democratically controlled). This is dangerous for public safety and for civil liberties. It is also a step toward normalizing the idea of using the U.S. military as a force not to protect the nation, but to police its citizens.
– Speaking of U.S. citizens, ProPublica has documented 170 cases of citizens being detained or arrested at immigration raids or protests. The people, a few of whom were pregnant, have been held without access to attorneys or their families.
– The Supreme Court has temporarily granted the government the right to use race as a precursor in Los Angeles for stopping people suspected of immigration violations, all but putting a scarlet letter on anyone darker in skin tone or speaking a language other than English. Given that the administration’s goal is ramping up deportations, rogue or inadequately trained agents are incentivized to act with impunity.
– Thousands of Americans are eyeing their cupboards, unsure of how they’ll feed their families without the help of government assistance. Others will soon decide to forgo health insurance, unable to afford escalating premiums. Both the intricacies of healthcare and food assistance are issues that could be managed by a responsible, less partisan Congress.
– Congressional maps are being redrawn, without the guidance of new census figures. This is a brazen maneuver of gerrymandering. It began with the Republican-led states of Texas and Missouri, which are hopeful to steal congressional seats from Democrats. Democrats are lining up to perform their own version of this subverting of fairness in voting rights.
But go ahead, shed a few tears, spend a few minutes rampaging on social media about the late East Wing. Unfortunately, its demolition is merely the latest bull in the China-shop tantrum of our petulant president.
The East Wing’s destruction does deserve news coverage, just not at the expense of other issues.
A 1,000-person, 90,000 square foot ballroom is planned to replace the wing. This will not be the last time that Trump pursues gaudy glamour, which he’s long misinterpreted as a marker of class. Rest assured, there will be more gold leaf.
Trump’s ardent fans love the temper tantrums that Democrats are throwing over the East Wing. The louder the left’s outcry, the more robust MAGA supporters jeer. For some, recklessness from the White House is proof of Trump’s visionary status.
The more honest assessment is the appeal of a rebel. Trump might as well be James Dean to some voters. They’ll cheer his every move if it appears to anger liberals. The problem is that while everyone is focused on the outrage, Trump will be skirting off elsewhere to cause even greater damage.
Don’t miss far more serious administration blows against the sanctity of voting rights, individual liberties to peacefully protest, sane trade policy, and the morality of the U.S. in how it conducts itself globally.
Rather, Americans need to accept that the Trump administration calls for democracy-watching by triage. We need to choose carefully where to focus, for impact, and the ability to limit the destruction effectively.
Mary Sanchez is a reporter and writer who examines the cultural changes sweeping across America.
