There Are Points Being Made With Fast East Wing Demolition

Almost before Americans knew it was happening, the East Wing of the White House was torn down. The demolition is shocking, Philip Kennicott writes in a column in the Washington Post, but for Trump, making fast work of the East Wing demolition and ballroom construction highlights a series of points. With the government shut down, the project provides "a stark contrast to the dysfunction of Congress and, by extension, the torpid rhythms of democratic self-governance," Kennicott says. The president embodies his self-proclaimed image of a master builder who can cut through red tape. Trump is setting the precedent that history, laws, and procedures don't matter, that there's no need for collaboration or review in the construction even of buildings this important to the nation.

Authoritarian regimes vest all judgment and taste in the leader, Kennicott says, and speed is the priority. That's true of China and the gulf states, he points out: Quick construction of major infrastructure establishes the leader's legitimacy while disenfranchising the people. "The plans changed when the president heard counsel from the architects and the construction companies," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday, per the AP, leaving no way for anyone else to influence the decisions. The result is a democratic process turned on its head, Kennicott writes: "Buildings are gifts to the people from leaders who are infallible, not the organic expression of civic values and ideals." The full column can be found here.