Corporate donors are helping Trump demolish the White House-so he can rebuild it in his own image

"In what is somehow a real-life event and not an overwrought metaphor for the state of American democracy, earlier this week, work crews began tearing down the East Wing of the White House in order to make room for President Donald Trump's planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition. Previously, Trump had said that the project would not "interfere" with the existing building, which now appears to be accurate only in the sense that by sometime this weekend, the East Wing will no longer exist."

"For months, Trump has boasted that he wouldn't pay for the ballroom's construction using public resources, which is perhaps the plan's only saving grace. But as the government shutdown enters its fourth week and millions of federal workers continue to go unpaid, the president has opted for a financing model that is grotesque and insulting in a different way: passing the tab along to a menagerie of wealthy opportunists eager to curry favor with a president who values personal fealty above all else."

Work crews have begun demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition. The project is estimated to cost $250 million with an uncertain completion date and will feature lavish fixtures such as gold and crystal chandeliers, a gold-accented ceiling, and gold floor lamps. The president previously pledged not to use public funds, but the plan now relies on private financing from wealthy donors. The project proceeds amid a prolonged government shutdown that has left millions of federal workers unpaid, raising ethical and political concerns.

Read at Fast Company