White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller mounted an impassioned defense of President Donald Trump’s controversial White House renovations, for which the entire East Wing has been destroyed.
In an appearance on Fox News’ The Will Cain Show, Miller railed against the left, which has “scarred the landscape of our country with grotesque, so-called ‘modern art’ that celebrates ugliness, that celebrates defacement.”
“The tragedy is a political party and a movement that has ripped down our statues, our monuments, our holidays, our heroes, our heritage,” Miller continued, ignoring the fact that the Trump administration has itself called for the removal of statues that do not align with its version of history.
“The Republican Party under President Trump celebrates beauty again and beautification again, and just as President Trump has beautified Washington D.C., now he’s repairing, finally, an area of the White House that has been left in disrepair for decades.”
The president’s renovations, for which he has ordered the demolition of the entire East Wing of the White House to build his privately funded $300 million ballroom, are proving increasingly unpopular. Polling shows that just 33 percent of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s changes. That number drops to 24 percent when specifically asked about the demolition of the East Wing.
Many public figures have condemned the renovations, from Chelsea Clinton to Ronald Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis. Clinton described Trump as taking “a wrecking ball to our heritage,” while Davis called the images of the demolition “heartbreaking”.
Trump and his allies, including Miller, have attempted to argue that the renovations were sorely needed, with Trump declaring on Monday, “They’ve wanted a ballroom for 150 years, and I’m giving that honor to this wonderful place.”
Miller also attempted to argue over the necessity for a $300 million ballroom, telling Cain that the East Wing was “badly in need” of refurbishment and that “the White House also desperately needs and has long needed a place to hold large events… befitting the greatest nation in the world.”
He went on to complain about President Barack Obama, who he argued would “erect a makeshift tent in the mud, at great expense, build it up, then tear it down over and over again” whenever he held large events at the White House.
“That is absurd,” Miller said. “We are the United States of America.” Obama did make use of temporary structures to accommodate more guests than the White House would allow, including for his first state dinner.
The White House has been scrambling to find convincing arguments to rationalize the dramatic images of the White House in ruins. The administration has updated the official White House website to include a timeline of other controversial events that took place on its grounds in an attempt to draw heat away from Trump.
The timeline mentions Bill Clinton’s affair with then-intern Monica Lewinsky, a meeting Obama had with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the discovery of cocaine in the West Wing, and a Trans Day of Visibility event hosted by President Joe Biden.
It also highlights Trump’s renovations, including the addition of a tennis pavilion in 2020, his controversial Rose Garden remodel, and the construction of his $300 million ballroom, making sure to provide justifications for each of the changes.
