this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
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Trump can't focus long enough, even on his $400 million passion project

In October, Donald Trump traumatized all true patriots by tearing down the East Wing of the White House. The move, he claims, will clear the way for a ballroom for holding large events that are typically held in tents on the South Lawn. A debate immediately arose online over whether or not the next Democratic president should tear down the ballroom or keep it, albeit with the necessary extensive renovations to remove all the tackiness Trump brings to any project.

Two months later, it increasingly seems that such discussion was a wasted effort, as the chance this ballroom will actually be built is rapidly disappearing. Perhaps it could have if Trump had delegated the management of the project to someone competent, but that’s not what he did. Instead, the famously lazy and disorganized president decided to blow off his actual governance duties in favor of micromanaging a construction project he is incapable of handling. Finishing the ballroom in the next three years would be difficult for anyone, but it’s quickly becoming clear it will be nearly impossible for the famed real estate tycoon to pull it off.

The whole thing is a too-perfect symbol of Trump’s second administration: They are very good at breaking things, but they don’t know how to create anything of value.

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[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 21 points 2 hours ago

They are very good at breaking things, but they don’t know how to create anything of value.

Typical fascists. It's all grandiose and talk. If one reads the history of Nazi and fascist policies, they tend to wing it. Fascism is a reaction and antithesis to rationalism. In that sense, why would they have a plan at all? Okay, maybe with Heritage Foundation, they have a plan, but overall it is about regression which ultimately doesn't make sense apart from being an emotional reaction to caring about lgbt, migrants and social welfare.

[–] RattlerSix@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

"There is no real direction here, neither lines of power nor cooperation. Decisions are never really made – at best they manage to emerge, from a chaos of peeves, whims, hallucinations and all around assholery."

[–] AlexLost@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

It is really ease to tear things down, much harder to build things up.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 35 points 7 hours ago (10 children)
[–] tym@lemmy.world 1 points 45 minutes ago

AKA "A place to hide after suspending midterms after society revolts when SCOTUS modifies the 14th amendment this summer"

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-birthright-citizenship-14th-amendment-873a45bc58de9e92773f554bf5bba9a0

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

would this even work in dc? the water table is so high, one of the reasons they didn't build a more extensive bunker complex in the 50s it's impractical to build anything and then keep it from flooding.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 10 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

LOL.

If you wanted a secret underground-anything why would you put it under the freakin whitehouse?

... and of all things a data centre, which would work the same if it were under sydney harbour, or you know... not underground at all, or well... just any of hundreds of existing data centres.

[–] modus@lemmy.world 6 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

The article does give a reason, it says it's to allow "executive oversight." As if Trump is going to waddle on down there and work on the servers himself.

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 3 points 2 hours ago

That's super thin. Plenty of things have executive oversight and are not physically under the white house.

[–] Lightfire228@pawb.social 11 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

This reads as way too competent a plan and scheme for Trump's admin.

I can't decide which is scarier, that Trump's admin is so incompetent they can't build a ballroom, or competent enough to plan and build a project like this while hiding it from the public

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 11 points 5 hours ago

Too competent for Trump, absolutely. But there are some pretty scary competent people behind him, whispering in his ear. As the video details, the people he's hired to work on his "ballroom", also happen to be some of the world's leading experts on building super secure, military grade data centers. There's not a lot of overlap between those things, so it's hard to imagine that it's just a random coincidence.

[–] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 7 points 6 hours ago

Fascinating read, thanks for that.

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[–] ABetterTomorrow@sh.itjust.works 42 points 7 hours ago

Trump has a track record of not paying people. Even court records to prove it. Blows my mind the demo team agreed to do this and now they’re not getting paid. No money, no worky

[–] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 15 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

So he vandalized the Whitehouse for nothing?

[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 hours ago

No, he did it as a grift. I'm sure most of that money has already disappeared into his bank accounts.

[–] minkymunkey_7_7@lemmy.world 10 points 5 hours ago

They're building a new Fuhrerbunker for Vance and the next one. Trump doesn't even know.

[–] Bonifratz@piefed.zip 103 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

The fact that Trump just randomly tore down part of the White House still makes me laugh.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 33 points 9 hours ago

Wait until you see the shit stains on the constitution.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 10 points 7 hours ago

True patriot.

[–] PearOfJudes@lemmy.ml 0 points 2 hours ago

idgaf about the white house

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 171 points 12 hours ago (8 children)

I bet they can't get any contractor to work on that, because the Administration has already stiffed the demolition crew and nobody wants to touch a job they will never get paid for.

[–] bagsy@lemmy.world 25 points 8 hours ago

That asshole hasnt paid any bills in decades, i cant believe anyone is still dumb enough to accept a job for this conman.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 142 points 12 hours ago (5 children)

You need to remember just how stupid some of his base is. There are pickme's out there who will 100% jump at the chance and think surely Trump won't stiff them.

[–] jonne@infosec.pub 91 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (6 children)

I'm actually amazed how he keeps finding new suckers after decades of doing it in the private sector and almost 10 years of doing it as President. The only ones that really came out ahead are the criminals that bought their pardons. Everyone else gets screwed one way or another.

[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 42 minutes ago

The average American is very dumb. He has a large lot of rubes to stiff.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 10 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

Same here. Even back in 2010 and 2011 when I first started to look him up I was surprised that anyone could have trusted him or taken him seriously once the 90s rolled around. He should have been remembered as that conman from the 80s who is barely hanging onto life financially today.

[–] harmbugler@piefed.social 1 points 3 hours ago

It’s why he has “the worst fucking lawyers”

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 5 points 6 hours ago

He was always that shadey “businessman”, but that stupid reality show really put him back in the spotlight.

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[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 17 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Also, you try finding a construction crew on the east coast he hasn't personally stiffed already

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe he can order the army corps of engineers to do it.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago

Instructions unclear they installed a dam

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 36 points 11 hours ago (14 children)

I bet they can't get any contractor to work on that, because the Administration has already stiffed the demolition crew

I wanted this to be true... https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-east-wing-demolition-congress/?collection=471833 Unfortunately it's not

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 24 points 10 hours ago

Not unexpected. He handed all kinds of government jobs to the terminally incompetent.

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 41 points 12 hours ago

Man who failed at casinos unable to build ballroom. Who could have forseen this!?!?!

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Nah he'll build it, he said he finds this kind of work soothing. The world can burn down and he'll be happy as a clam in his old real estate ways and gold trim. This is what he wants to be remembered for, fancy buildings.

[–] snooggums@piefed.world 31 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Trump can’t focus long enough, even on his $400 million passion project

Didn't it start out under $100 million?

[–] Sumocat@lemmy.world 49 points 11 hours ago (6 children)

It started at $200M and as “not affecting the existing structure” and will end as a $900M donation to the Trump presidential library, which will also not be built.

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