Fox found a new way to spin President Trump demolishing the White House’s East Wing to make way for his gaudy ballroom, describing it—positively–as an aggressive display of executive authority.
On Outnumbered Tuesday afternoon, host Emily Compagno, 45, argued that the president destroying sections of the White House to erect his $200 million, gold-adorned ballroom is an example of the unchecked “executive authority” she has apparently been waiting for.
“I feel, this president for once has taken up the space of executive authority,” she said. “Rather than being tepid and timid in the way of executing the mandate and the will of the people, he is showing us what the authority looks like.”
“It includes, I think, impacting the structure of the White House which is the people’s house,” she continued. “And it is notable, obviously, no taxpayer funds are covering [its construction], but it is exciting to see. You are supposed to leave something better than when you found it. The stewardship of what that means, and we see that on a daily basis.”
Compagno’s co-host, Donald’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, also gushed over the redesigns, saying of the umbrellas in the Rose Garden, “They remind me of Mar-a-Lago.”
But critics say Trump’s renovations are doing more harm than good.
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough slammed the destruction of the White House as “grotesque” Tuesday morning. Earlier in the month, Rep. Robert Garcia of the House Oversight Committee described the planned ballroom as a “monstrosity.”
Compagno was attempting to characterize the unchecked, unpopular demolition of the White House as yet another “exciting” example of how “the people” gave Trump the mandate to do whatever he desires.
Trump did not campaign on making aesthetic modifications to the White House, and the American people have not had an opportunity to weigh in on the plan. An August poll by YouGov found American’s that “strongly” or “somewhat” disapproved of the changes outnumbered those who “strongly” or “somewhat” approved 47%-31%. Despite their unpopularity, Trump is forging ahead with them anyway.
In that way, Compagno’s comparison between the White House redesign and Trump’s overall attitude towards his second term rings true. Critics note that in multiple arenas, Trump has attempted to assert his executive authority to enact whatever he wants, legal checks be damned—an attitude that inspired the nationwide No Kings protests against his administration last Saturday.
Also like Trump’s White House modifications, his administration is exceedingly unpopular. Polling finds Democrats make up a plurality of United States voters ahead of the 2026 midterms, while Trump has a -16 approval rating, according to CNN.
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