No.Nonsense.

In October, the country was aghast when the entire East Wing of the White House was leveled to the ground. There was no congressional approval. There was no following of the protocols required by the White House’s historical designation. We just woke up one day to the backhoes ripping down a portion of the people’s house.

Trump told us not one single tax dollar was going toward the ballroom project. He said he was footing the $200 million price tag. Then he said that it would be funded through private and corporate donations. When asked for a list of the donors, he hedged, saying it wasn’t necessary. He ultimately relented and presented a list of names of corporations and power players. No dollar figures were included in the list. Trump’s name was not on the list as a donor.

The need for an event space for state dinners and for welcoming delegates from around the world was a reality. Even Democrats said the need existed and supported adding such a space. We could benefit from a beautiful venue that was befitting the home of our top leader and the grandeur of our incredible country.

No one would have dreamed it would come at the expense of a significant part of the iconic building.

Then in the past week, we learned that the price tag has now doubled.

When asked about the increase in the cost, Trump called the female journalist stupid, said it was a dumb question, and that the ballroom had doubled in size, accounting for the now $400 million it will cost.

No, it didn’t.

At least not the ballroom.

In another bait and switch, Lindsay Graham put forth an addition to the budget reconciliation bill of $1 billion for the added security measures required in the new ballroom.

What they did not tell us at the onset of the project- what they failed to tell us about the doubling of the size- is that when they demolished the East Wing, they also dismantled the secure bunker that was under the East Wing. Do you remember the bunker? It was a full White House underground, designed to withstand a nuclear bomb so that the president could be protected in the event of attack.

That $200 million added to the building cost is to rebuild that bunker. The $1 billion proposed in Congress to be funded by us is to secure that bunker.

When the Senate parliamentarian said no, citing that the expenditure did not meet the requirements of the reconciliation bill, Trump did his man tantrum on Truth Social on demanded she be fired.

God bless Senate Majority Leader John Thune who said no. Of course, given the shivving that Trump has given to Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep Thomas Massie, Sen John Cornyn, and Sen Bill Cassidy who dared to cross him, Thune needs to watch his back now for daring to not bow to Lord Don.

I’m one of those people who thinks the idea of the ballroom is a good one. With that said, I don’t like the way this one has been done. Trump acted like a child who eats all the candy then lies to the parents when he’s caught with chocolate on his mouth. At a time when we are spending $400 million a day in an an unnecessary war, when the American people are struggling to put food on their tables and fuel in their cars, we don’t need a huge construction bill that keeps growing. We need for someone to think about our needs and not his own egotistical agenda.

I wonder if he’s going to call it The Trump Ballroom.

When magicians are performing, they will talk the whole time, weaving words and stories together so that the audience becomes distracted by the sounds and aren’t watching the hands. They obfuscate. Trump engages in the same practice, feeding us a lot of hot air so we don’t pay attention to what’s happening under the table. This time it’s an expensive obfuscation.

We really need to pay more attention when Trump starts dealing Three Card Monty. We might just lose all our money if we’re not careful.