Trump’s ballroom turns the People’s House into a monster home

Backhoes tore into the brick and plaster of the White House’s East Wing, sending a chalky cloud drifting across the South Lawn. In a single morning last month, a piece of America’s most familiar building collapsed under the teeth of heavy machinery.

The metaphor was almost too crude, but U.S. President Donald Trump has never been subtle. In ripping down and remaking “the People’s House,” he is broadcasting a clear message: The rules don’t apply to him.