Don't like Trump's White House remodel? See previous demolitions

 President Truman's Renovation - White House Historical Association

Much more here to keep the place from falling down.

5 times the White House underwent major renovations since 1792   "Presidents from Teddy Roosevelt to Barack Obama have remade parts of the building to their liking. And Harry Truman oversaw a major modernization of the White House, built in 1792.

" 'The South Portico, the North Portico, the East Wing, the West Wing, and the Truman Balcony all raised concerns at the time — but today, we can’t imagine the White House without these iconic elements,” the White House Historical Association said this week.

"However, nothing done in the past matches Trump’s ambitions, Ed Lengel, who served as the chief historian for the White House Historical Association from 2016-18, told The Hill.

"“There’s never been anything like that before. And I think I can say that with total confidence. There’s been nothing on that scale, even close to that scale, has ever been done before,” he said."

"Trump envisions a massive ballroom, paid for by private donors, attached to the East Wing for entertaining world dignitaries and other guests. 

"The White House has hit back at criticism of the project, calling it “a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and renovations from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence.”

"Here’s a timeline of other major White House renovations:" . . . More...

MSNBC would say Trumps remodel is worse than this. Lets walk into the Lincoln Bedroom shall we?

Vintage White House Renovation Photos Show Last Major Upgrade in 1950s - Business Insider

Argus Hamilton remarked: 

President Trump was ripped by mainstream pundits for tearing down the east wall of the White House to build a ballroom funded by Trump and donors. It's nothing new. Richard Nixon built a bowling alley, Barack Obama built a basketball court and Bill Clinton installed mirrors above the beds.

The Lincoln Bedroom: Refurbishing a Famous White House Room - White House Historical Association  

Lincoln Bedroom for contributors controversy (Wikipedia) was an American political controversy in the 1990s during the Clinton Administration. It refers to the alleged selling of overnight stays in the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House in return for political campaign contributions. It occurred in the context of the larger and somewhat separately focused 1996 United States campaign finance controversy. Despite allegations of wrongdoing the justice department never opened an investigation or pressed criminal charges in connection to the Lincoln Bedroom matter.^{[1][2]. . .} 

Mamdani's Grocery

Hakol Sababa

Food lines in soviet union photos "The Soviet Union experienced chronic food shortages for much of its history, often forcing citizens to queue for hours in food lines, which are extensively documented in historical photographs.

From the comments to this post:

"As a USSR born, I’m experiencing PTSD watching this. Very accurate. But the New Yorkers deserve what they vote for. Let them experience the horrors of communism and socialism. They have no idea what coming.

"I had lived only for 7 years in USSR. But I still remember that empty shelves and standing in a line for 2 hours since early morning just to get milk, bread and 1 type of bad cheese. If you are very lucky, you get some sausages without meat as well."

UPDATED: Late Epstein Victim Virginia Giuffre’s Memoir ‘Nobody’s Girl’ Hits the Bookstores, Flooding the News Cycle With Fresh Revelations – Here’s a Few of the Most Shocking

 The Gateway Pundit  

‘I know about monsters’ – Virginia Giuffre.

. . . "The horrifying ordeal of late Virginia Giuffre is laid bare in her posthumous memoir ‘Nobody’s Girl’, that arrived on bookstores today, and are making headline around the world.

"In the book, Giuffre writes that she feared she might ‘die a sex slave’ under Jeffrey Epstein’s control.

"Giuffre describes a nightmarish childhood filled with abuse that turned her into ‘perfect victim’ for sexual predators like Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

"She included in the book claims she was raped by her father Sky Roberts at the age of nine.

Daily Mail reported:

‘I know about monsters,’ she wrote. ‘As a child, I experienced nearly every kind of abuse: Incest, parental neglect, severe corporal punishment, molestation, rape’.”

"Her father strenuously denies abusing her sexually.

"After she was recruited by Maxwell to be Epstein’s sex slave, she ‘stooped so low’ as to bring her friends to be abused by him too – on her way to become herself a sex trafficker.

"Epstein became obsessed by sadomasochism, abused her and made her wear a ‘black leather metal-studded collar’.

“She added: ‘In my years with them, they lent me out to scores of wealthy, powerful people. I was habitually used and humiliated – and in some instances, choked, beaten, and bloodied. I believed that I might die a sex slave’.” 

"Giuffre repeats her claim that Prince Andrew participated in an orgy with her and ‘approximately eight other young girls’ on Epstein’s ‘Pedophile Island’ of Little St James in 2001.

" 'She wrote: ‘It was not just the two of us this time; it was an orgy. The other girls all seemed and appeared to be under the age of 18, and didn’t really speak English. Epstein laughed about how they couldn’t really communicate, saying they are the easiest girls to get along with’.”

"A few days after the Island ‘orgy’, she writes that she had a miscarriage of a baby didn’t even know she was carrying." . . . More...

UPDATE:  Prince Andrew's daughters face fallout as York family brand deemed 'truly toxic': experts

"Prince Andrew's daughters Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York are facing the fallout from their father's scandals, according to experts.

"Last Friday, Andrew, 55, announced that he was giving up his royal title of the Duke of York and other honors following renewed public scrutiny of his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and explosive new allegations made by the prince's late accuser Virginia Giuffre in her posthumous memoir, "Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice." 

"Andrew is also being investigated by London's Metropolitan Police due to newly leaked emails that show the royal allegedly asked his personal protection officer to seek out potentially damaging information about Giuffre. 

"Meanwhile, Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with whom he shares Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, has been embroiled in controversies of her own after a leaked email emerged in which she praised Epstein after publicly denouncing their friendship, leading several U.K. charities to sever ties with her." . . . 

Prince Andrew Titles Stripped: What He Loses, What He Keeps, and the Money After Epstein  "Prince Andrew has announced he will no longer use his royal title or honours. The statement, released by Buckingham Palace on Oct. 17, 2025, confirmed the move, saying allegations tied to Jeffrey Epstein have become a "distraction" from the work of King Charles III and the Royal Family. Andrew continues to "vigorously" deny the accusations.

"For the public, the question is simple: What exactly did Prince Andrew give up today—and what does he still keep?" . . .  Details here...

Twin brothers leading Antifa exposed—their father’s evil background explains it all…

Revolver   

"One thing we know for certain is that “ideas” don’t build video games that glorify beating political opponents to death with bricks. “Ideas” don’t hand out guides for forming street cells, stalking venues, or torching squad cars. That’s done by violent thugs in a legitimate movement." 

More after this:

Antifa Member Lectures D-Day Veteran On How To Fight Fascism (Babylon Bee parody)

Antifa continued:  "For years, the left and the propaganda media have tried to gaslight Americans into believing Antifa doesn’t exist. They expect us to believe that it’s just some random idea, not an organized movement. It’s absurd. They have a flag, chapters, and a power structure in the movement. Try telling the shop owners whose businesses were burned to the ground or the police officers ambushed in the streets that Antifa is just an idea.

"Antifa isn’t a myth. It’s a left-wing domestic terror network built on chaos, intimidation, and hate.

"And now, as the left loses control of its own monster, the real leaders behind the movement are starting to emerge, and they’re darker than anyone imagined.

"Investigative reporter Andy Ngo has identified two of Antifa’s most violent leaders: Jeremy and Jason Hammond, twin brothers from Chicago with long criminal records and a disturbing family history that includes dark, evil child sexual abuse.

"Jeremy Hammond, known by his alias “Anarchaos,” was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for hacking private data from thousands of individuals and corporations as part of an Antifa-linked hacking cell. His brother, Jason Hammond, served sixteen months in Illinois state prison for taking part in a brutal Antifa mob attack at a restaurant, a coordinated assault using bats, hammers, and batons.

"But as we mentioned, the rot didn’t start with them. Their father, John Hammond, is a convicted child sex abuser. It’s not hard to see how a background that dark might twist the worldview of sons. And you can’t help but wonder if the predatory father victimized his twin sons as well and turned them into these soulless, violent radicals.

"These twin leaders are not “activists” or “anti-fascists.” They’re convicted criminals with a history of violence, rage, and destruction.

"The left wants to pretend radicals like these twins don’t exist because acknowledging them means admitting that Antifa isn’t some “idea”; it’s an organized, funded, and dangerously effective terror movement.

"Andy Ngo:

Jeremy & Jason Hammond, violent Antifa twins who spent years in prison for hacking & a brutal mob beating at a restaurant, respectively, are revealed to be leading Antifa in Chicago. Their father is a convicted child molester. @DanaKennedyLive reports: . . .

ConservativePoliticalCartoons

Exclusive: Meet the TDS Cult ‘Expert’ Behind the FBI’s Lawfare Machine

 Revolver   

We just had four years of the FBI targeting Trump supporters and religious conservatives. The OneTaste prosecution lays the predicate for the Bureau to ramp up its persecution of Trump supporters and Christians the moment Trump walks out of the Oval Office.

"In the middle of a quietly unfolding federal trial against former executives of a Silicon Valley wellness company called OneTaste, something truly extraordinary happened. Through the grind and determination of civil litigation, subpoena battles, and courtroom discovery, OneTaste stumbled onto a trail of evidence that doesn’t just raise questions about their own prosecution; it raises red flags about the very foundations of how federal agencies have been operating since the start of the lawfare era.

"At the center of this discovery is a man named Steven Hassan, a self-described “cult expert” who authored a book titled “The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control.”  

"This is the man whose work is now featured on the FBI official website. And the man whose “BITE Model,” a subjective framework built on emotional, behavioral, and thought control, is being used to train FBI agents on how to identify “cult victims.” . . .

. . . "We just had four years of the FBI targeting Trump supporters and religious conservatives. The OneTaste prosecution lays the predicate for the Bureau to ramp up its persecution of Trump supporters and Christians the moment Trump walks out of the Oval Office.

"Do you think the Biden holdovers and career bureaucrats embedded in the deep state wouldn’t love to prosecute Donald J. Trump?

"What would the government’s “cult expert,” Steven Hassan, have to say about that?

"Here’s Mr. Hassan cheering on the erosion of free speech and suggesting it’s time to “help” radicalized Trump supporters." . . .More...

‘Don’t Ever F**king Do That’: Hunter Biden Said He Almost Jumped On Stage To Confront Obama

John Loftus  

“It’s good to see that Hunter has taken some time to process the election, look inward, and hold himself accountable for how his family’s insular, dare I say arrogant at times, approach to politics led to this catastrophic outcome we’re all now living with,” 

"Hunter Biden said he nearly jumped on stage to confront former President Barack Obama after he assisted then-President Joe Biden at a campaign event in 2024, according to a report Tuesday.

"During a Hollywood fundraiser, Obama helped a seemingly frozen Biden by taking his hand and leading him off the stage, a video of which went viral. Hunter said he was so enraged by Obama and the fact that the snippet would ultimately be used against his father that he nearly confronted the former president, Axios reported." . . . More of Hunter's expletive-laden statement here.

Democrats Keep Trying To Offer An ‘Alternative’ To Trump. That’s Their Problem

I find that one alternative the left uses is simple murder of conservatives, executed ostensibly by a Democrat and made manifest by several spiteful speeches by the bitter Joe Biden. TD

Eddie Scarry  

"Democrats can keep spinning their wheels, trying to concoct an “alternative” solution to a problem that only has one. Or they could not and just be pro-American for a change."

"Two recent articles have a couple quotes from prominent Democrat strategists that inadvertently capture the filthy rut the party continues to wallow in. They even use the same word.

"In The Hill on Monday, campaign strategists Doug Schoen and Carly Cooperman declared that “the heart of Democrats’ dilemma is an inability to articulate their own path forward” and a failure at “communicating their own credible and attractive alternative” to President Trump’s agenda. Over in The New York Times one day before, pollster Celinda Lake almost identically said, “The biggest thing the Democrats need to do is not the negative but the positive. We have to offer an alternative.”

"Sounds like a plan! So what’s the “alternative” to securing the southern border, cracking down on inner-city crime, and promoting affordable energy production? What’s the alternative to using real U.S. muscle to force a peace deal in the Middle East? What’s the alternative to insisting foreign leaders open their markets to American-made products, lest they pay penalties? (And in the meantime, they certainly are paying.) What’s the alternative to a military that prioritizes fighting capability over “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion”?

"We’ve seen what the alternative to all of that looks like. It was called the Biden years. Or, if you made less than $250,000 per year, you might have more commonly known it as “Is this hell?”

"Here’s an idea for Democrats though: Not everything needs an alternative. A lot of problems, maybe most of them, have one practical solution. To pretend otherwise is to play with real people’s money, tEddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of "Traitors: The Democrat Party’s Collapse into Anti-American Filth."heir safety, and that of their families. It turns out it’s not very popular to do that." . . . More   

Eddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of "Traitors: The Democrat Party’s Collapse into Anti-American Filth."

The ‘No Kings’ marchers' ignorance and gullibility are appalling

Patricia McCarthy 

"And as Edward R. Murrow memorably said, “A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”

  "Soros and his minions, that plethora of illicit NGOs that rob American taxpayers, along with his network of billionaires who are intent upon destroying America as founded, saw the fruits of their misspent dollars at work on Saturday as a few thousands of aging hippies, most of them recruited and paid, showed up at their local “no kings” protests and made utter fools of themselves.

When confronted by a question about why they were participating, few, if any, could answer coherently. They cry “fascism” but cannot define it. Still, they “know” Charlie Kirk was a bad man! They are glad he’s dead.

                                                   Image created using AI.

"Their signs say their freedoms are being lost, but they can’t name one single freedom that has been taken from them. In short, these are truly benighted people. Nor do they understand the irony that their being allowed to protest across the country disproves their very reason for being.

"That they are all terribly ignorant about our Constitution goes without saying. They are so ideologically brainwashed that they are unable to realize that it was the Biden administration, which took its orders from Barack Obama, that abrogated so many of the rights the Constitution guarantees to us all.

"We now know that under Biden, thousands of Americans were illegally surveilled, phones were illegally tapped, and parents who attended school board meetings were labeled domestic terrorists if they opposed boys in girls’ locker rooms and sports. Parents who objected to their five-year-olds being taught that gender is fluid and that they can choose to be a boy or a girl were tracked as potential terrorists. Persons who attended those Catholic churches that still delivered the Latin mass were suspect. The Biden regime was as close to a dictatorship as America has ever endured.

"Trump is the antidote, elected by the millions of Americans who realized their country was being stolen out from under them. The invitation to the invasion of twenty million migrants, which may have permanently altered American culture, remains a treasonous crime." . . .

Craziest Silent Movie Stunts With Trains

Train Fanatics

"Many silent movies had stunts, but the train was always the main one. Buster Keaton was the father of all stunts with trains."

"Many silent movies had stunts, but the train was always the main one. Buster Keaton was the father of all stunts with trains.

"In his 1926 film, The General, Buster Keaton performed all of his own stunts. No stunt doubles in those days! As with other actors of that time, filming was dangerous work for anyone.

"The bridge collapse in The General was considered the most expensive single shot in silent film history, coming in at an expensive of $42,000. In todays dollars, accounting for inflation, that would equal over $600,000! The bridge was built for just one scene as were many of the sets used!

"Most of the scenes were built one one take obviously, but the props were all real. There were no green screens, no special effects and no second takes!"

‘Make Assassinations Great Again’: Leftist Demonstrators Call For Murder Of Trump: as did Joe Biden in three of his presidential addresses.

The Federalist  We now live in a society where the left not only accepts but celebrates throngs of haters carrying signs calling for murder.  

“No Kings” is a stupid slogan in a country where everyone has a right to hold offensive signs insulting the president. But calling for killing is the stuff of extremists."

"The “No Kings” protesters are not satisfied with the concept of persuading people to adopt their political views; instead, they want to kill their opposition and then celebrate the death the way they lauded Charlie Kirk’s murder. It sounds like a harsh accusation until you read the signs protesters made and carried during Saturday’s “No Kings” events.

"Many were straight calls for murder, and others were so vile that they call into question the sanity of anyone comfortable carrying such words — like the woman with the sloppy cardboard sign scrawled with a marker: “Which one heals faster? (A) Trump’s ear (B) Erika’s heart,” referring to Charlie Kirk’s widow."

"There was also this menacing woman, acting out the moment a bullet hit Charlie Kirk’s neck. By Monday morning it was widely reported that she is a public school teacher at Chicago’s Nathan Hale Elementary School, which abruptly shut down its website and X account." . . .

"The so-called “No Kings” protest wasn’t a protest, it was a coordinated and corruptly funded mass call for political murder. "The crowd was filled with left-wing extremists openly calling for murder of President Trump and celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk."

"The lady in this video mocking Charlie Kirk’s assassination is reportedly a Chicago Public School teacher. She needs to be fired immediately. pic.twitter.com/vRg4MZnLrR"

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 19, 2025

Top White House Economics Advisor Predicts Government Shutdown Will End This Week, Warns of ‘Stronger Measures’

 Breitbart 

 Numerous polls show more voters blame Trump and Republicans for the impasse and indicate strong support for extending the ACA health insurance subsidies. White House economic advisor Hassett says shutdown could end this week

"National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett predicted Monday that the ongoing government shutdown is “likely to end sometime this week” but warned the Trump administration may impose “stronger measures” if the funding impasse continues.

"Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Hassett suggested Democrats were waiting to vote to reopen the government until after this weekend’s nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump. White House economic advisor Hassett says shutdown could end this week

"The comments came as the federal government enters the third week of the shutdown, which has continued with no clear end in sight amid a partisan fight in the Senate over federal funding priorities. White House economic advisor Hassett says shutdown could end this week

“I think the Schumer shutdown is likely to end sometime this week,” Hassett said, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., whom Republicans blame for the funding lapse. White House economic advisor Hassett says shutdown could end this week

"If the shutdown doesn’t end soon, “I think that the White House is going to have to look very closely, along with [White House budget chief Russell] Vought, at stronger measures that we could take to bring them to the table,” Hassett said. White House economic advisor Hassett says shutdown could end this week" . . .More...

No Kings? No clue...

Cal Thomas 

"The left's hatred of Donald Trump has gone to the Defcon 2 level. These protesters won't debate policies. Instead, they are full of anger. But anger is not policy. Anger and hate are irrational fulminations."

"What do you do when voters have rejected your party's policies and the losers have nothing new to offer?

"Answer: You stage large demonstrations that include name calling (this from Democrats who have called for "lowering" the rhetorical temperature). Anyone who believes last Saturday's "No Kings" (was that poll tested?) demonstrations across the country were not organized and largely paid for by left-wing groups hasn't been paying attention. The New York Times claims there is "no evidence" that the event was subsidized by billionaire George Soros and other far-left people and organizations. That's because the underwriting isn't given directly but is filtered — like the Mafia used to launder money — through groups that wipe clean the donor's fingerprints.

"At the New York City event, chants were heard comparing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to the Ku Klux Klan. No, the Klan violated the civil rights of Black Americans, lynched some and made a mockery of the law. ICE is upholding laws passed by Democrat and Republican congresses, including the apprehending of known criminals, deporting undocumented aliens, those with prior convictions and drug dealers. What other laws do these protesters think can be violated with impunity?

"Back in the day when I was a reporter, I witnessed demonstrations for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. This was before social media and instant communications. They appeared spontaneous and heartfelt, though some conservatives claimed the anti-war demonstrations were supported by communists.

"Saturday's nationwide demonstrations appear to me to have been choreographed. As with other left-wing inspired demonstrations on college campuses and elsewhere, I'm not buying the claim these were spontaneous uprisings that can be compared to the Boston Tea Party. That was the analogy used by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. On the rare occasions when a reporter actually interviews a protester it is clear they are repeating what they have been told to say, heard from liberal professors or read on social media." . . . More... 

Cal Thomas, America's most-syndicated columnist, is the author of 10 books.