Images of bulldozers demolishing the East Wing of the White House have shocked the American public, with only 23% of those surveyed approving the controversial project. Behind this dramatic transformation stands architect James McCrery, the man tasked with bringing President Donald Trump's grandiose architectural dreams to life.
Trump was reportedly caught off guard by the public reaction to the first images of bulldozers tearing down the East Wing, which were broadcast on Monday, October 20th. In the president's mind, this was simply a necessary step in constructing his grand vision: a future presidential reception hall. However, some photographs made it look like "Beirut on the Potomac," creating an unexpectedly negative public response.
The East Wing, while never the epicenter of White House power, holds significant symbolic value. Built in 1902 and expanded in 1942, it housed the First Lady's offices and included a charming movie theater that was particularly popular during the Obama era. Its destruction surprised many both for its suddenness and scope, especially since Trump had initially promised the wing would remain intact. According to a YouGov poll, only 23% of Americans approve of the demolition, with support reaching just 44% even among Republican voters.
Trump defended his actions by pointing out that he wasn't the first president to renovate the White House since its first occupant, John Adams, 225 years ago. He also issued a memo to Treasury Department employees in the neighboring building, strictly prohibiting them from photographing the excavators in action.
The president has long dreamed of this monumental reception hall. When he announced the project's launch on July 31st, he promised it wouldn't cost taxpayers a single dollar. "President Trump and other patriotic donors have generously committed to provide the necessary funds for constructing this approximately $200 million building," the official statement declared.
On August 5th, Trump was seen walking on the roof of the West Wing, where the Oval Office and presidential staff are located, to oversee the construction's beginning. Beside him stood a relative unknown wearing a bow tie: James McCrery II, the president's trusted architect. McCrery's background is both unique and distinctly "Trumpian" in nature.
McCrery grew up under the influence of Peter Eisenman, the master of "architectural deconstruction" and postmodernism, before turning away to join Allan Greenberg, a guru of classicism, and eventually establishing his own firm. Today, he has harsh words for contemporary architecture, which he considers "foreign" to America, "desperate," "removed from truth," and even "impious." As an associate professor at the Catholic University of America, a private pontifical university based in Washington, he has made his name constructing churches, including the cathedral in Knoxville, Tennessee.
McCrery belongs to a small group of traditionalists dissatisfied with the elitist and modernist consensus prevailing among their peers. He aligns perfectly with Trump's vision, as demonstrated by the president's executive order signed on August 28th, which established new rules for federal architecture. Gone is the modernism that Joe Biden had authorized; from now on, only "classical and traditional" buildings will be constructed.
The first images of the future reception hall reveal an exterior with a columned portico resembling a Greek temple, and an interior featuring sophisticated coffered ceilings, all in Beaux-Arts style. However, since the project's announcement, the reception hall appears to have grown in scope. Originally designed to accommodate 650 guests, it will now host 999 people, as Trump announced with great fanfare on October 15th before a gathering of donors dining at the White House.
According to CBS News journalist Jennifer Jacobs, the hall will likely exceed the initially announced 8,400 square meters, meaning it will truly overshadow the main White House building, which covers 5,100 square meters. The budget has also increased to $300 million, but Trump insists this isn't a problem as donors have been lining up, particularly major tech companies like YouTube.
YouTube, a Google subsidiary that had been involved in legal disputes with the president after excluding him following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, chose to settle the matter amicably with a substantial check totaling $24.5 million. The majority of this amount, $22 million, will go toward constructing the reception hall, which will undoubtedly be named the "President Donald J. Trump Ballroom."
Trump's grand projects are proving lucrative. With so much money available, during the October 15th dinner, the president also officially announced the construction of an Arc of Triomphe, already dubbed the "Arc de Trump" by some, in Arlington on the banks of the Potomac near Washington. This monument will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and is heavily inspired by the arch that stands on Place Charles-de-Gaulle-Étoile in Paris. During the announcement, Trump presented three models of different sizes, noting that his preference was "for the largest one."
The president appears increasingly comfortable in the White House as he remodels it according to his tastes, and he seems less inclined to leave. He recently posted a video on his Truth Social network showing himself as president "4EVA" (forever, for eternity). His former advisor Steve Bannon, now an influential pro-MAGA podcaster, has been giving multiple interviews predicting Trump's reelection in 2028, despite the 22nd Amendment prohibiting him from running for a third term.
In an interview with the British weekly "The Economist," Bannon, who never speaks carelessly, swears there are "numerous alternatives" to legally circumvent this problem. "There is a plan, we will present it when the time comes," he warns. The objective is clear: to accustom minds to what would be a major modification of the U.S. Constitution.
This has prompted alarm from Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan. In a column titled "A Republic, But Can We Keep It?" she expresses concern about Trump's monarchical drift and the "triumphalist attitude" of his advisors. She writes: "The photos of the East Wing demolition were heartbreaking because they seemed to say that history itself can be erased."
For Trump, the reception hall may be one provocation too many, or perhaps a sign that, if God grants him life, he fully intends to change laws to suit his purposes and run again in 2028 at the age of 82.
