Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on Thursday rejected debate over the demolition of the White House East Wing and President Trump’s plan to build a ballroom, saying the focus should instead be on the impact of the government shutdown on federal workers in her state.
Whitmer appeared on MSNBC’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki” to talk about the shutdown, when the host shared a “crazy split screen” that showed the demolition of the East Wing “when the shutdown is leaving so many workers without pay and vital benefits.”
“I just wonder, from your vantage point as the governor of a state, what are you creating that split screen with?” Saki asked.
Whitmer replied, “Well, as I’ve talked to people, I’m telling you right now, nobody is worried about building a ballroom in Washington, DC.” “What they want is to make sure they can feed their kids next week. And the longer the shutdown goes on, the more uncertain it becomes for people.”
The governor said that most Americans “will never step foot in a ballroom in their lifetime.”
“But they’re also trying to feed their kids every day, make sure they have a job to show for, make sure they don’t hit a pothole on their way to work, and make sure they get money out of rent or child care to get their car repaired,” she added. “So we have to stay focused on the issues that matter to people.”
Excavators completed it on Thursday Demolition of the East Wing of the White HouseReplacing it will be a ballroom that the Trump administration hopes to finish before the end of the president’s second term in 2029. Trump said this week it would cost about $300 million, and the White House Released a list of donors On Thursday it said it was financing the project.
the east wing was often renovated and remained the subject of various controversies over the years. From its birth as a colonnade under the building’s second occupant, President Thomas Jefferson, to the construction of a movie theater and underground bunker under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, various renovations followed protests by political opponents.
The East Wing became home to the White House social secretary and calligrapher, as well as the office of the First Lady. These and other official roles have been transferred to other offices within the building.
