National

Donald Trump

Opinion

White House demolition Trump’s ode to self

Maureen Dowd New York Times columnist October 26, 2025 — 12.47pm Advertisement

Before the orange cyclone hit town, Washington was a far more staid place.

Al Gore loved to host small dinner parties focused on scholarly topics. One dinner was devoted to the meaning of metaphor. “I l-i-i-ke metaphors,” Gore drawled to The Washington Post when he was vice president. “The more complex and arcane the better.”

Work continues on a largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House, before construction of a new ballroom. Credit: AP

What must Gore make of the unsanctioned, ahistoric, abominable destruction of the East Wing by Donald Trump? It’s the most remarkable metaphor we’ve ever seen in th

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