From the Ground Up
“The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of President Donald Trump’s appointees, on Thursday approved his proposal to build a ballroom larger than the White House itself where the East Wing once stood. […] Members of the public were asked to submit written comment by a Wednesday afternoon deadline. Thomas Leubke, the panel’s secretary, said ‘over 99%’ of the more than 2,000 messages it received in the past week from around the country were in opposition to the project.” — Associated Press (https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-commission-fine-arts-f2a15d0b1c9c95f24816fe60b6b1ee5f)
From the Ground Up
The Greatest Ballroom, Trump proclaimed,
shall rise upon the White House lawn—
with funds from donors I have tamed—
and built before you know I’m gone.
Two thousand wrote from sea to sea,
with almost everyone opposed;
the Fine Arts panel nixed their plea
and voted that the case was closed.
A pity some have come to think
that honesty means not a thing,
but that’s the depth to which we sink
when a joker crowns himself a king.
— zumwalt (02/2026)
