Eric Swalwell Calls On 2028 Democratic Nominees To Pledge To Destroy Trump’s ‘Monument To Corruption’ Ballroom
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) proposed a stiff litmus test for any Democrat who hopes to be elected president in 2028: pledge to destroy Donald Trump’s $300 million ballroom.
Swalwell posted to X on Sunday, “Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE.”
In a follow-up tweet, he added, “Or, as @RubenGallego proposes, rename it the Barack Obama Ballroom. But a Trump monument to corruption will not stand.”
Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House over the period of a week to make way for the proposed 90,000 square-foot ballroom designed to accommodate some 1,000 seated guests.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the ballroom “a much-needed and exquisite addition.”
“The White House is currently unable to host major functions honoring world leaders in other countries without having to install a large and unsightly tent approximately 100 yards away from the main building’s entrance,” Leavitt said.
Trump has said the entire cost of the ballroom will be covered by himself and 37 corporate and private donors.
One of the donors is Amazon, the business that made Jeff Bezos a billionaire. Another of his companies, The Washington Post, printed a favorable editorial on Saturday, praising Trump’s “aggressive approach” to building the ballroom, lest the blueprints face “death by a thousand papercuts” by becoming bogged down in the bureaucracy of a traditional building review.
MAGA attorney Jonathan Turley called Swalwell’s suggestion, “reckless,” while Trump advisor Jason Miller called the lawmaker an “idiot.”
Plans show the new ballroom structure will “dwarf” the White House itself, which is about half the size. Trump originally claimed that the ballroom “wouldn’t interfere with the existing building.”
Over the summer, Trump paved over the White House Rose Garden to make way for a patio.
