Transcription
You still haven't really addressed why Donald Trump is knocking down the White House for his own. Well, he's he's he just hates America.
That's what I've been reading. And how crazy excited the left should be that he's knocking down something built by slaves. They're like, "We got to preserve that. That's for slaves made that."
Uh, it's weird. I actually do have questions about this, though.
What? What question do you have? Well, like, and and they come from, you know, everybody's source of thinking these days, which are group, uh, group texts that I'm on with some friends, right? Like I have really basic questions of like, I feel like there'd be like a conversation and a bill passed if we were going to put a giant new building on the at the White House, but nope. That's not how it works at all, is it?
Nope. How does it work? I don't. How does this work?
You ready? Yes. So, the president says, "I want to change the White House." Okay. And the White House architect says, "Uh, how would you like to change it?" And he says, "This way." And they say, "Okay, well, you need to approve all the permits." Okay, I pro I approve all the permits. Okay, we change it.
That's literally how it happens.
Really? Yeah. They can do anything they want. Well, I mean, within reason. I mean, when I say within reason, I think with restraint from public outcry. Like, if I I want to paint the White House black. Well, you know, well, Mr. President, you can do whatever you want, but I don't think that will fly with the American people.
Uh, so there are some standards in there, but I'll tell you about a conversation I had with Trump next.
Steu is like freaking out about the White House. I'm not freaking out. I just think it's an interesting. I thought there would be a more of a process to something like this. Nope. Because I do not think at this point the American people understand what is about to happen, which is like the White House is about to double in size.
Uh-huh. M, just by my eyeball look at it, it looks like it's going to maybe be more than two times the size. It's going to be large, but it's not the actual White House. It is part of the East Wing. And that's a that's a totally misleading, uh, comment. The White House is the original piece from the 1700s. Okay, that's the center house. The the East Wing and the West Wing was not done until FDR. They were added later.
You know, the biggest the biggest change to the White House in the last well, since FDR. Um, and happened in our lifetime right after 9/11. The the White House became enormous, but it was all underground. They completely changed everything underground and yes, we didn't have a conversation about that at all. But it's because it's underground.
I assume all sorts of things are happening underground. Our well-known monuments and buildings, but this this is like they it's not a uh they're ch they keep saying this though. They're going to be changing the West Wing. That's not what they're doing. The East Wing. The East Wing. Sorry. They're going to be changing the East Wing. That's not what they're doing. This is like doubling the size of the White House. Now, I'm not opposed to that idea. I'm just sort of surprised that that it wasn't like a big conversation and a bill and like.
Okay. All right. Okay. Okay. All right. You ready? Yes. So was Donald Trump.
What do you mean? So, I'm in the White House with him and I'm I'm up in the the private quarters with him and he's showing me some things that he is doing and talking to me about some other things that I can't talk about because he doesn't want. I don't know why he doesn't want to discuss it. He didn't want to discuss it. Um, and I don't know why, but because it's all really good stuff. But anyway, so we're talking about it and uh, and then he brings up the the ballroom and uh, we're walking down the stairs from the residence and we're going into the ballroom and he says, "You know, there's the ballroom that Abraham Lincoln had dinner." And I said, you know, it's that window over there that Frederick Douglas opened up the window and had to crawl in because they wouldn't let him in because he was black. And Abraham Lincoln is like, "Let him. He's my friend. Why is he coming through the window?" Um, and we were talking about all the history of the ballroom and that it's very, very small. Uh, because it was built in the 1700s and we keep using that ballroom. And he's like, "You got to have a bigger ballroom. We have it out in the wet and the cold and the rain and the yada yada yada." And uh, so he said, we come over to a window and he's like, "Right there, I got to build a big beautiful ballroom and it's going to be better than anybody think. It's going to be the biggest most beautiful ballroom in all." And I like I, you know, just try not to laugh, you know, because it's that's the way he describes it. And uh, he said, you know, I was surprised I could do that. And I said, I'm bad. How long is that going to take? What's that process like? And he's like, right, that's what I asked. He said, I went to the I went to the I don't know, chief usher or somebody, whoever is in charge of the White House. I think it's the chief usher. He said, I think we should have a ballroom. And he's like, what do I do? And he said, uh, well, you you just have to talk to the architect. So he went to the White House architect. Now, this is the guy who makes sure the integrity of the White House stays, okay? Like, you can't make it into a modern, you know, house, okay? You're not going to redesign the inside and say, "Hey, you can add some gold, I guess. You can add a lot of gold, I guess, but you can't make it into like, you know, you you can't wreck the integrity of the White House." Um, and uh, he said, "You know, I just put these flagpoles in." And he's like, "All I had to say is I want to put some flagpoles in." They're like, "Yes, sir. Where?" He's like, "What?" and he's like one in the front, one in the back. And they're like, "Okay, just elsewhere." So he went out to the yard and was like, "Right here, right there." And they put him up. And so he's he's talking to the White House um architect. And he said, "We got to have a ballroom, and I think we should have it over here in the East Wing. You should have big, beautiful." And he said, "But what is this going to take?" And uh, he's like, "Well, it's going to be very expensive. Are you expecting the people to pay?" He's like, "No, I'll I'll raise the money for it. I'll pay for it and I'll raise the money extra so American people are not going to pay for it. And the Arctic said, "Well, then all you have to do is sign the permits." And he's like, "What?" And he said, "Well, you have to go through the permitting process." And he said, "How long is that going to take?" And he's like, "Well, the president is the one who controls the process and signs the permit. So, as short as you'd like it to be, Mr. President." He's like, "Are you kidding me?" and he looked at me and he's like, I'll have this done by spring of next year.
So, um, so he can change it. The what what you have to understand is the the East Wing and the West Wing, those those are FDR. So FDR went into a works project and he added those wings. The East Wing is where the First Lady's offices are. you you r just the East Wing is like, you know, it's it's it's just the East Wing. Um, and it's okay.
Shade at the East Wing. Yeah, I am. Uh, but anyway, um, and so what he's doing is he's taking some of it down and he's going to link it to the ballroom. And the ballroom is going to be the biggest beautiful ballroom in Washington D.C. It's going to link from there. So, you'll walk if you're in the White House, you'll walk from the front door through the the dining room or the East Dining Room. You'll go into the East Wing and you'll go to the ballroom.
I'm looking um at the renderings as we speak. And that's exactly.
I've not even seen the renderings. Oh, you haven't seen them? No. I just had him describe it to me.
It. Can I see it? No. Oh, they're mine. It's my computer. Um, this is the I can't obviously show to the people here, but you can see it over here. It's big. Beautiful. What a surprise. The tables are golden.
Yeah. The By the way, that's amazing. It's different. Holy cow. My conversation about whether this is the the You can't It's already zoomed in on this. I mean, they're not the best images. My here There's nothing wrong with that. What is wrong with that? It looks just like the white. It fits. It's appropriate. I was in the middle of saying um it's my conversation on this is not whether it is looks good or is appropriate or anything like I actually think his point on the ballroom is so obvious every president should have been making it. The fact that we don't have a big room to have state dinners in unless you wanted to do them off campus somewhere else. You have to have that. And why not have it at the White House? It makes a lot of sense.
Except I don't want to pay for it as a citizen. I don't want a dime going for it. You know what? Hey, all you Frenchies, you can eat on the lawn. Literally on the lawn. We just throw the food out on the lawn. Yeah. I mean, I'm fine with that. But if if he wants to pay for it, if he wants to get rich people to pay for it, go for it. I don't want any of my tax dollars going to it.
I. Right. Um, so my my criticism is not how it looks or that we need it. I actually They showed the inside of it and it seems like the type of facility we should have for these types of events. We're going to have them somewhere. Yeah, why not have them there? I think, you know, I. And who better to build it than one of the best builders of all time. We've had this conversation about how you project American power. Yes. And I think Trump's approach to particularly I mean, we've seen it in the Middle East, but I think it's been effective around the world of these trappings actually are effective in diplomatic relations with other nations. It's not like just Donald Trump has a lot of places that are lined in gold. He can have meetings. Yes. It's not like that's what he wants it for. The left tries to portray it as, "Oh, he just wants a big He just of course he does. He wants this big." No, it means something to him and he knows how these people think.
No, no, it it cuz he I asked him. I I won't tell the whole story. Um, I really want to really desperately. Uh, but um, you know, he's he's gilding everything and uh, and that's not necessarily my favorite look, you know, right? Uh, and uh, and he he came in, Tanya and I were alone in the oval for a while. We were talking about about it and he comes in. He says, "You know, I'm doing all this. You see all the gold?" Like, "Yes, I can't miss it. You can't miss the gold." And he's like, "Uh, you know, it's so important. These foreign leaders, they all come from palaces and they don't understand, and I know, you know, the White House is different. America is different, but they understand power in a different way. And he said they're coming from these old countries and these big buildings and these palaces. And he said it is important for us to project power." Yes. And that's and that is that is why he's doing it. It's not because he likes gold. He's doing it to project power and wealth. Notice how many prime ministers they're all flying in all the time from all over the world. You know, I've never seen a president meet with so many foreign dignitaries in the White House all the time.
Yeah. And the media likes to say, "Well, that's because he's self-important and he's projecting American power." I think so, too. And when I say it's important to him, that's why it's important to him because he believes it's a an important tool in that world. It's not him. He knows the language they speak and not just body language or, you know, spoken language. all of the entire that's what protocol is all about. It all means something. And so my criticism, and it's not even a criticism, it my observation is not whether it fits or whether we need it or whether it's appropriate or my I don't think my observation here in the group text that we started this with was just that like holy crap. I don't think the I don't think the American people have any idea what's about to happen. Like every time I bring this up to Glenn and you have to understand how these the conversations work. I say people are going to look at the White House and it's going to be totally different. He's like, "Oh, prison Tyler did more than that in 194." Shut up. That's what I get from Glenn. Oh, well, there was more changes underground. You don't understand the piping. They they totally changed the the the piping back in 1807. You Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't know that. what I think of and you know FDR made these changes my life it's been the same pretty much from the outside. I know what the White House looks like. You go up there, you look at the White House, it looks like the White House.
It is not going to look like the White House when this is over. It is going to look like the White House plus another White House next to it and it's going to be I think massively impressive but like I'm surprised there's not more conversation about the last time you were in Washington D.C.
Uh, the inauguration. So you would not believe the difference in the White House grounds, the difference from, you know, when I went with George Bush, you could stand right at the front gate, right? You can't do that anymore. They've taken the park, the the park in the back is all gone. the security, everything, all of the trees, everything that has been done to not see the White House except for that iconic front. Yeah. You know what I mean? Everything else is is not really uh you you don't see it like you used to anymore. You don't walk up to it anymore.
I mean, the last I was in town for the inauguration. Last time I actually walked by the White House, it's been a long time. Oh, you you would not you won't recognize it. I mean, for just driving by and seeing it now, you'll get pictures of it and everything else, but walking by it, you today, you wouldn't recognize it. It it's it's what has had to what has happened with security is so sad.
I mean, I have the bell from the White House front desk. There used to be a little desk right in the front. right as you walk in, there was a desk and a bell. And I I have it. I think it is from Tyler's uh administration. Um, and you'd walk in and you'd hit the bell and you'd say, "I want to see the president." And somebody would say, "Okay, all right. Sit over there." And you would wait. You might wait all day, but you got to you could walk in without an appointment and see the president of the United States.
Oh my god. You're not getting in within two blocks of the White House now. It's it's sad. It's sad what's happening.
Yeah. I mean, and for good again, I wouldn't disagree with that either. It's for good reason security-wise, but I think of back uh Glenn the classic I think what everyone thinks of when they think of the White House is of course the scene from Superman 2 where uh.
Try to remember where where they show the White House and it's supposed to be it's a motion picture, but they were too lazy to actually get video footage of the White House. So, it's just a still and you can tell because there's like uh, you know, things that should be moving that aren't moving. So.
Is that because I think it's Superman on Independence Day they blew it up. It could be. It could be. I mean, they only had a picture they had is another good examp like you have those that picture of what the White House looks like. Uh, and you know, I guess from certain angles it's still going to look pretty much the same, right? From the front you're not going to notice it because it's kind of wrapped around the back. But like that the back is pretty iconic, too. It's not going to look like that anymore. It's going to look in some ways a lot better and more impressive, but it is a major change that I when when you say, "Hey, they're redoing the West Wing and putting a little ballroom in there." That's not what they're doing.
East. Sorry, East Wing. This is I hate Glenn. I'm only saying it because I know how much he hates you.