Bill Kristol calls for ballroom to be turned into destruction site as symbol of Trump's legacy

William Kristol, a renowned neoconservative commentator, skewered President Trump's decision to proceed with a ballroom in the east wing of the White House as "an assault on American republicanism." 

Kristol, in his op-ed on The Bulwark, of which he is the editor at large, wrote that Trump's action of razing the east wing without any approval of Congress, the historical preservation experts, or the public was "anti-democratic" and "anti-republican in spirit."

He added that the ballroom is not only an "architectural monstrosity" but also a "blunderbuss of bad taste," pointing out that this move reflected that Trump thought of himself as the White House's owner. "He could and would reshape it unilaterally as he alone decided," he wrote.

Kristol argued that the transformation of a people's house into an emperor's palace symbolizes Trump's effort to "replace the old republican regime with an imperial one." He also dismissed the rationale of national security following the assassination attempt on Trump last month. "He wanted a grand edifice built by him and named after him," Kristol averred, continuing that resisting the ballroom was "a good fight."

"If this means leaving the area immediately east of the White House as a construction site—or rather, a destruction site—for the remainder of Trump's presidency, so be it. Let its ugliness exemplify the ugliness of the Trump era. Let its rubble symbolize what he has tried to do to the American republic," he concluded.

Kristol is among the growing cohort of conservatives turning against the Trump administration. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed the decision to proceed with a ballroom at a time when Americans were reeling from a cost-of-living crisis triggered by the Iran war.

The ballroom project refers to the controversial expansion of the White House launched by President Trump in late 2025. He earlier said that private donations would fund the project. However, despite the President's assurances, Senate Republicans asked for $1 billion to fund the ballroom's security infrastructure, an amount that will come out of the taxpayers' pockets. This was in addition to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R–S.C.) request of $400 million for the project.

Democrats slammed the request in droves. Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) called the claim of a privately-funded ballroom a "big fat LIE." "That's $1 BILLION for a ballroom no one wants, yet there is no money for healthcare," he wrote in a post on X. Rep. Jasmine Crockett said the move shed light on the Republicans' priorities. "Not for lowering costs. Not for helping families. Not for anything that actually makes the cost of living more affordable. A billion dollars for Trump’s ballroom."