The Democrats thought that this time they really had Donald Trump: How dare he soil the sacred White House by destroying the magnificent East Wing to build a ballroom? What kind of evil person does that?

It turns out that lots of presidents have altered the White House to keep up with the times, and that the complaints are coming from the same people who feverishly attacked the White House and other American monuments in 2020. The narrative took an even bigger hit when it turned out that half of corporate America (including many left-leaning companies) is funding the renovation. No taxpayer money is required.

Image created using AI.

But there’s even worse to come for those opposing the ballroom. That’s because the Washington Post board has conceded that the White House’s entertaining facilities are sadly outdated.

I noted yesterday that the current reception chamber is tiny, measuring less than 3,000 square feet. That may have been the right size in the 19th century, when America was not a world power, but times change, and it’s currently completely inadequate.

So, the WaPo lets the cat out of the bag about what happens when the White House hosts a bigger soiree than a little 19th-century shindig:

Privately, many alumni of the Biden and Obama White Houses acknowledge the long-overdue need for an event space like what Trump is creating. It is absurd that tents need to be erected on the South Lawn for state dinners, and VIPs are forced to use porta-potties.

You read that right. When the most powerful nation in the world, and one of the wealthiest nations, too, hosts dignitaries from across the globe, they have to trudge across a lawn to use porta-potties. That’s just so wrong.

The new facilities will be a stark contrast to the old way in which the White House had to scramble to host guests, both domestic and foreign:

The State Dining Room seats 140. The East Room seats about 200. Trump says the ballroom at the center of his 90,000-square-foot addition will accommodate 999 guests.

In a burst of optimism, the WaPo board adds, “The next Democratic president will be happy to have this.”

The same editorial adds a dose of sanity about complaints that Trump failed to give preservationists a chance to review the plans (“the White House is exempt from some of the required regulations...”), and acknowledges that lots of presidents have updated the White House. It closes by saying that “The White House cannot simply be a museum of the past.” Exactly.

Once again, the walls of reality keep closing in on Democrats. Boys and girls are different, borders matter, illegal aliens destroy communities and jobs, and old buildings need to be renovated. At this rate, by 2028, the WaPo will be endorsing the Republican presidential candidate. (Just kidding...)