Know Your Enemy
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Trump's Big, Beautiful Ballroom (w/ Kate Wagner)
🕑 Added 2025-11-17 11:30:03 +0000 UTCIf there's a Trump-era topic that manages to fascinate without being entirely depressing, it's probably the ongoing arguments about architecture that his ascension has occasioned. Proponents of a RETVRN to the architectural ideals of ancient Greece and Rome are prominent in MAGA circles; partisans of a neo-classical revival populate government commissions, and their prescriptions find expression in various executive orders again. To understand who these people are, what their movement wants, and the kernel of truth in their grievances, we talked to architectural critic and proprietor of McMansion Hell Kate Wagner. We start by analyzing Trump's ballroom and the demolishing the East Wing of the White House — the perfect way into MAGA architecture and the mind of their Beautiful Builder himself, Donald J. Trump.
Sources:
Kate Wagner, "Duncing About Architecture," New Republic, Feb 8, 2020
— "Trump Will Not Make Architecture Great Again," The Nation, Jan 7, 2025
— "The Real Problem With Trump’s Cheesy Neoclassical Building Fetish," Feb 12, 2025
— "what the fuck are we doing anymore," The Late Review, Jan 9, 2025.
Charlie Nash, "Trump Admits He Could've Built Ballroom Without Destroying the East Wing, But 'It Looked Like Hell,'" Mediate, Nov 10, 2025
Comments
Derek Hart
Fell to my knees in a cul-de-sac. In all seriousness though, this was fantastic — I will definitely be reading more of Kate’s stuff.
Jesse B
Goes to show you didn’t listen to the end!
paul londrigan
Surprised that I did not hear the famous architect Art Vandelay referenced in this episode.
