Earl Ofari Hutchinson
President Trump is on a hell bent, full steam ahead revamp of the White House East Wing to a Mar-a-Lago party time Trump fun and games house. But then again what’s to stop him from his reality show entertainment style funhouse. He has made it amply clear that the National Historic Preservation Act with its loophole exclusion of the White House from tinkering can’t.
The bevy of other historical site preservations committees can’t stop him. The National Capital Planning Commission requires at least going through the motions of getting approval for renovation of public buildings but not actual construction. But even if it was inclined to put pause to Trump’s naked self-adulation public building grab, they wouldn’t. He’s stacked the committee deck with a bunch of no talk back Trump acolytes.
He did one more thing that was vintage Trumpian crass, cynical, and stupendously calculating. He cooled off a big chunk of public opinion that screamed foul about this homage to himself. He shouted that it won’t cost the public a dime. He sweetened the braggadocio by claiming that he’ll go in pocket and shell out big bucks for the gaudy embarrassment.
He doubled down on neutering public opposition by quickly listing an impressive list of some top whos’ who of corporate fat cats. They pledge to kick in millions for the travesty. Just to be sure he chilled out as many public doubters as possible he swore that there was no quid pro quo to the corporate big shots who ladled out the cash–no contract favoritism, business deals, easing regulation, tax giveaways, or well, no deal period.
Now that Trump has seemingly covered all bases with his one-man Mar-a-Lago remake of the nation’s best known and venerated publicly owned building, what’s next? Trump being Trump bathed in luxury and hedonism and who never met a real estate deal he couldn’t twist to his advantage; you just know that there’s more to come.
The White House is no longer the nation’s house. It’s Trump’s house. And like any real estate wheeler dealer and now homeowner, and with all hurdles to a Trumpian remake out of the way, the Oval Office, Lincoln Bedroom, or even the capitol dome won’t be safe from whatever gaudy, high priced house unbeautiful whim he may fancy.
So, let’s cut to the chase, skip the gnashing and nay saying over his playroom toss-up. Just be done with it and rename the White House Mar-a-Lago Two. Don’t think for a minute Trump won’t.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book is White Supremacist-in-Chief (Middle Passage Press) He is the publisher of thehutchinsonreport.net