Construction workers, bottom right, atop the U.S. Treasury, watch watch as demolition continues on the East Wing of the White House to make room for a new ballroom. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

President Trump promised that his new ballroom “…will be near it (East Wing), but not touching it and it will pay total respect to the existing building.” Trump destroyed the East Wing of the White House this week — even while members of Congress dined in his paved-over “Rose Garden Club.” This happened while the federal government was shut down — a “Let them eat cake” moment. Americans need to step up and object to this desecration. There were no public input meetings, no demo permits, no building permits, nor public selection of the design team for this despicable act. What the president is doing is a crime and members of Congress should have stopped it as soon as they knew about it. The side of the aisle currently in charge has bent the knee to this administration. This is destroying our heritage and will result in the addition of a gaudy gold-plated mess that overwhelms the remaining People’s House’s scale. The Republicans are acquiescing to whatever Trump wants. We Americans should be up in arms about this travesty and let our members of Congress know that this is unacceptable, along with the Republican shutdown of the government in order to give more tax breaks to billionaires and take away health care from citizens.

— Sam Combs, AIA, Architect, Anchorage

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