Hands Off the People’s House
The White House, often called “The People's House, ” is the quintessential symbol of America and it stands as a reminder that power flows from the people, not a King or his court. The Presidents who reside there are merely temporary tenants who cannot freely or unilaterally make any material changes to the White House itself or any part of the complex or grounds without prior approval following strictly delineated procedures. This has been the case for all previous presidents…up until now. President Donald J. Trump has intentionally chosen to disregard the law and demolished the entire East Wing without authority or permission to do so. In so doing, he has stolen an important part of our national heritage.
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) is the federal body charged by Congress with overseeing proposed construction projects at the White House. They are supposed to receive and evaluate all proposals long before any demolition or site preparation takes place. ONLY after the extensive review process assessing both the aesthetic and environmental impact is completed, and approval is obtained, can construction go forward. Several large projects previously undertaken by Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), Harry Truman (1945-1953) and John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) all complied with this rigorous review process before a single stone was turned.
President Donald Trump ignored the legal process and in fact, in a fox guarding the henhouse move, installed his own personal attorney Will Scharf as NCPC commission chair in July 2025. Trump then started cutting down trees and clearing foliage in September, demolished the entire East Wing in October, and brought in a crane and pile drivers for underground infrastructure in December 2025. All done with no oversight at all from the NCPC!
In an effort to stop the Trump Administration’s illegal actions, the National Trust for Historic Preservation brought suit just last month to put an emergency halt to the illegal construction but the train has already left the station and the East Wing is now just a heap of rubble. In response, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ordered Trump to submit construction plans to the NCPC after the fact and the Trump Administration has submitted what they dubbed the “East Wing Modernization Project” for presentation on the NCPC’s January 8th agenda. Problem is, you certainly can’t “modernize” a building that has already been demolished intentionally and illegally.
This Administration must be held accountable for destroying a significant symbol that is part of our national heritage. The “People’s House” isn’t just a fancy name. It signifies the central democratic notion that no one owns power permanently…we shall abide No Kings. Congress must act to condemn this illegal act and seek impeachment based on abuse of power and defiance of lawful oversight. Do it Now.
John Cannon, South Haven