President Donald Trump has cleared the way for his multiple large-scale construction projects by demolishing the commission that would oversee them.
All six members of the Commission on Fine Arts received an email from the White House presidential personnel office Tuesday night notifying them that they had been terminated, effective immediately, The Washington Post reported.
An official told the Post that Trump planned to replace the members. “We are preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies,” they said.
The official’s statement seems to suggest that Trump is seeking a slate of MAGA commissioners to green-light his every whim, as he attempts to unilaterally transform the nation’s capital into a shrine to his own triumph. The previous commissioners had been appointed to four-year terms by President Joe Biden.
The commission was established by Congress in 1910 to advise the federal government on the art, design, and architectural development of Washington, including major projects at the White House. It’s not clear whether Trump intends to run his plans for a $300 million ballroom or his ridiculous “Arc de Trump” monument past the new commission.
The latest shake-ups come as Trump lays waste to the White House’s East Wing, after promising his grand designs for a space to host diplomats would leave the original building untouched.
It also seems that Trump has allowed his “builder in chief” status to eclipse his actual duties. The president has reportedly become consumed by his large-scale remodeling at the White House, wandering away from his work to survey renovations.
The post Trump Fires Everyone Who Could Have Stopped His Renovation Rampage appeared first on New Republic.
