Found in Mary L. Trump’s Substack column today (10/22/25). “There’s also been a lot of talk about the obscene, opulent, almost certainly to-be-gaudy ballroom that will be erected in place of the East Wing; a 90-thousand-square-foot monstrosity that will dwarf the rest of the White House. We were initially told that the project was going to cost $200 million, then $250 million; now it’s estimated to be $300 million. Donald has already told us he’s going to use some of the excess funds that have been raised from corporations like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta (you get the idea) to build a triumphal arch in his own honor.”
I didn’t post the above quote because of the ballroom “renovation” and its reported cost (i.e., the East Wing demolition), which are disturbing in themselves. Instead, I posted it because the highlighted words in the last sentence enough to choke on. Apparently, the first mentions of this arch came out about a week ago (at the New York Times website and Syracuse.com, among other internet sources), but I had not noticed the story. Just in case you are likewise uninformed, you will find sufficient information in the above column and via any quick internet search. Perhaps he now thinks he is Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Maybe the arch is a substitute for the Nobel Peace Prize. Either way, readers here should know about this plan. After what we have already seen, there is no reason the arch wouldn’t happen.
