Trump Will Build His Ballroom Before Mayor Bass, Gov. Newsom Can Rebuild The Fire Zone

A race that Democrats don't even realize they are running

No one cared about the East Wing of the White House until five seconds ago. Critics of the demolition and ballroom construction argue that President Trump ignored nonexistent clauses of the Constitution that make Congress and the District of Columbia into the White House homeowners association (HOA). Trump was apparently supposed to submit his plans to a years-long, multi-committee process with several layers so that Ezra Klein could make Jon Stewart tear his hair out by explaining it all.

Trump could not have selected a better project to contrast with Democrats. Voters already associate the Democratic Party with the regulatory state and bureaucratic micromanagement. California, synonymous with Democrats, is an infamous regulation-heavy state that micromanages people, homes, and businesses, especially when it comes to construction.

Malibu, one of the California communities affected by the January wildfires, had issued just four rebuilding permits as of last week, according to The L.A. Times. Lots are selling at deep discounts because former homeowners have given up waiting for permission to rebuild their own property. They are selling out to international buyers and developers.

Of course, Malibu has particuarly onerous ‘slow growth’ regulations, due to its incredibly high property values before the fire. “In Altadena and Pacific Palisades, the two communities hit hardest by the January fires, there are rebuilding permits aplenty”, Jack Fleming reports. But the communities that are doing better at permitting than Malibu are still moving too slow.

The city of L.A., which is handling most permits in the Palisades, has issued 801 — around 43% of the total applications received, according to data from the state’s rebuilding dashboard. L.A. County, which is handling most permits in Altadena, has issued 577 — around 26% of the total applications received.

The best California can do is nowhere near good enough for most Americans in most of America. Comedian Adam Carolla, who lives in Malibu, recently posted a video on his YouTube channel about all the now-empty lots for sale on the beach. “We’re [at] nine months, and I don’t see one stitch of building material,” Carolla notes.

He had predicted right after the fire that permits would be approved only very slowly. In part, this is because the old homes were built to old standards, whereas new septic elevation requirements and fire suppression rules require the total redesign of beachfront dwellings. Everything has been made more complicated and expensive to rebuild.

Trump talks about reopening Alcatraz, or builds an Alligator Alcatraz, whereupon Democrats fall all over each other in their rush to remind everyone they are the party that loves criminals and defunds police. When Democratic mayors and governors confront Trump over deployment of National Guard soldiers to support ICE, they merely remind everyone that Democrats are the party of open border policies and crime. He keeps dangling bait and Democrats keep falling for it.

Now the East Wing has become another piece of bait. Trump is building a proper venue for hosting hundreds of dignitaries at a time intead of the huge tents that the White House usually rents for such occasions. Trump’s ballroom is supposed to be completely finished by the end of his term in office, January 2029 — an “ambitious” schedule that ends with a new building everyone will talk about.

Meanwhile, the most ambitious property owners in the fire zone of southern California are selling their empty lots at a discount and taking their ambitions elsewhere. Right now, Donald Trump is building his new ballroom faster by not asking permission than Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom can rebuild their fire zone through the progressive Big Government approach of making everyone ask.

In 2028, President Trump will likely be preparing to cut the ribbon on a completed project while some affected residents of the greater Los Angeles area are still waiting for their permits to be approved. If Trump is a successful builder while Democratic presidential hopeful Newsom has empty lots mocking his leadership, the contrast will be hard to miss. All of today’s prattle will be forgotten, or else mocked in retrospect, by the mute testimony of a ballroom.