A Eulogy For the White House’s East Wing

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First came the gilding of the Oval Office. Then came the flagpoles, both massive. Then the stone tile and food-court umbrellas over the Rose Garden. And then gold accents joined the Cabinet Room. And the art got swapped out, even putting Barack Obama and George W. Bush out of public view. The tile in the Lincoln Bedroom’s bathroom got exchanged for marble. The same happened with the breezeway leading into the Rose Garden. And the West Colonnade got its own upgrade, complete with an insult for former President Joe Biden.

And now come the bulldozers, the water cannons, and the construction walls to block views of the massive demolition of the White House’s East Wing, the latest manifestation of President Donald Trump’s effort to leave his mark on one of America’s most iconic buildings. By the weekend, the East Wing will be rubble, the latest D.C. institution to be smashed by Trumpism.

Since 1942, when a second floor was added to the East Wing, it has been one of the most traveled parts of the world-famous White House campus. Almost all visitors came through it. Whereas the West Wing was a hard political space, the East Wing was a softer, apolitical space. It had Jacky O’s gardens and a family movie theater down the hall. For most state dinners, the hall there was the photo-op red carpet. 

The tear-down of the East Wing removes offices used by the First Lady’s staff, the events team that handles events, and the military office, as well as a key entrance where the public arrives for tours and receptions. Where guests from around the world previously enjoyed state dinners now stands piles of debris. 

YouGov polling conducted Tuesday found 53% of Americans opposed…