Donald Trump is currently knocking down the East Wing of the White House to make room for his gold-crusted ballroom. After photos and videos of the shocking demolition hit social media yesterday, late-night hosts took the opportunity to comment on Trump’s “unsettling” actions.
During his monologue on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert noted that at this point you might think it would be hard for us “to be shocked by Donald Trump.” “But give the man credit,” the host said. “Every so often he takes the time to attach the electrodes to our nipples. And then it feels like the first time.”
Colbert’s audience booed when he showed an image of a backhoe that was “sent to rip out a chunk of the East Wing.” “That is it,” Colbert replied. “We are not giving him the security deposit back.”
He added of the photo, “That is so deeply unsettling. That is like being a kid and seeing your teacher at the grocery store for sale in the meat department. We’re just nine months into Trump’s term and he’s going ‘Hunk Smash!’ on the White House.”
On The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon explained that “the White House just began demolition on the East Wing so they can start building Trump’s new ballroom.” He quipped, “Yeah, it’s all part of Trump’s $200 million metaphor: For Trump, knocking down walls is easy. It’s building them that’s hard.”
On Late Night, Seth Meyers kicked off his show by joking, “You guys, I don’t think he’s planning on leaving in three years. If I had three years left on a lease I wouldn’t even put up a shelf.”
On The Daily Show, host Michael Kosta reminded viewers that the government shutdown is still going on and food stamps will soon run out. “There’s no end in sight,” Kosta said. “But not to worry: President Trump is working day and night to build a ballroom. It’s exactly what you voted for, coal miners in Pennsylvania.”
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Despite Trump telling reporters that the construction wouldn’t touch the existing White House building, Kosta noted that “it looks like they touched it.”
“I mean, holy shit,” Kosta said. “Who’s his general contractor? Bin Laden & Sons? Apparently not touching the White House turned into demolishing the White House. And for what? Does he really need a ballroom attached to his home? I mean, it would be good to have one room where Barron didn’t have to crouch, but still.”
Earlier this week it emerged that construction crews had started tearing down part of the existing East Wing, built in 1902, to make space for Trump’s planned $250 million ballroom. Trump initially unveiled his plans for the space in July, showcasing a 90,000-square-foot ballroom with capacity for 650 people. The project has since expanded to accommodate around 900 people. According to the president, it is being funded by private donations.
From Rolling Stone US
