Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., did the impossible last week: he reached a new low in American politics. Previously, Swalwell mocked a female senator after she complained about being threatened by leftists. However, even on the Swalwell scale, it is hard to measure the depths of a member who calls for potential presidents to pledge to demolish the Trump ballroom as a litmus test for office. Consider that for a second. According to Swalwell, Democrats will only consider politicians who promise to destroy a $300 million building to appease the lowest common denominator of their party.
Swalwell went on X to declare: “Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE.”
That is Eric Swalwell’s measure of a president: the willingness to destroy hundreds of millions of dollars in construction in an anti-Trump fit.
One can object to the unilateral decision to tear down the East Wing, but Trump likely has the authority to do so. Past presidents have ordered substantial alterations to the building. What is also clear is that the White House has long needed a ballroom. Trump is right that it is embarrassing to have guests at state dinners sit outside in a tent, since we are among the few major countries without such a space.
Even the Washington Post has come out in favor of the ballroom and said that future presidents will value the addition. However, Swalwell wants the next president to commit to destroying it as a political statement.
The rhetoric continued to ratchet up over the ballroom last week. It is clear that Swalwell was not getting through, as people piled onto social media to denounce the move. He then came up with something that no sane person would demand.
What is interesting is that he is right about one thing. Such a pledge would be useful for voters. Anyone taking the Swalwell pledge would instantly disqualify themselves from the office in the minds of most Americans.
While it certainly worked to get Swalwell back in the news, it was for all the wrong reasons. While Miley Cyrus may have ridden a wrecking ball to fame, Swalwell is unlikely to ride the wave of rage to relevancy in American politics.
The Swalwell solution will never fly for Democrats. Here’s the NEW plan.
Democrats should immediately tell America that Trump’s WH ballroom
idea was actually following “Biden’s original plan.”
Rabble:
Or better yet, Obama’s! He said he wanted a “ballroom,” but was too shy to tell the contractors off when they made a basket-“ball room”!
Rabble: addendum
After doing a litle more news-scrolling today, I am actually surprised to find that Trump was actually approached during Obama 1 to design a ballroom for the White House! Not surprised they never returned his calls; even then the DS was likely watching him close.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/10/27/wsj-trump-offered-to-build-white-house-ballroom-for-obama-in-2010/
In a move that has further imperiled relations between the US and its northern neighbor, on Monday Melania Trump hiked tariffs on Canada to 10,000% in retaliation for Katy Perry dating Justin Trudeau.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attempted to mollify the First Lady by stressing that his government had no jurisdiction over the love lives of his predecessor and the pop star.
But Mrs. Trump was unmoved, holding a White House press conference to blast the Trudeau-Perry romance.
“There are many bad things in world right now,” she said. “This be worst.”
Ha ha. Thought you were Darren Smith.
Is former Bud Light marketing guru Alissa Heinerscheid advising Swalwell now?
The good professor is correct, just when we did not think Democrats could go lower, Swalwell proves us wrong. He and they could and did go lower. Democrats, you really want to get on board with this train wreck? Go ahead. All you are going to do is alienate more and more voters with your stupid and crazy.
We’ve all witnessed it, an aisle in the grocery store where a toddler is having a melt-down, trashing the cookie displays because mommy won’t let him have the cookies.
This is the exact thing, the media (mommy) has allowed these spoiled brats to have their way so long that now that there is a strong adult figure in their lives they are melting down, in public, because they can’t get their own way and the media is no longer covering for them in the way they did.
The nation is beginning to witness just what tantrums and pernicious things these little spoiled brats have been getting away with and they are blinding hot mad. They have had to know little about self-control and were rarely, if ever, made to act like an adult.
All that they can do now is flail around on the floor of that cookie aisle and scream and pound their feet on the floor – they are wild with anger and we need to ask the public, “Is this the sort of person that you want in control of your life? Just as, perhaps too late, the public is awakening to just what a monster mamdani is and the damage he could do.
2026 should be a wake up call for voters to assess for whom they will cast a vote – a spoiled child that gives you candy, or an adult who will provide you with a save and sane environment.
WhimsicalMama,
I think as long as they keep doubling down on the stupid and crazy, like Swalwell demanding Democrats only consider politicians who promise to destroy the new ballroom, they will alienate more and more of the sane and normal moderate Democrats and Independents. I could see the sane and normal Democrats not switching parties but just not turning out to vote. Who would want to vote for the party of hate, rage and destruction?
Upstate: “Who would want to vote for the party of hate, rage and destruction?”, you ask. Terminally joyless voters full of hate and rage who call for destruction, otherwise known as socialists, communists, and anarchists, otherwise known as Democrats, that’s who.
Sane and normal Democrat? Oxymoron if I ever heard one.
Trump could come out in favor of puppies, and the left would go nuts and denounce him for ignoring kitties.
Seriously: if you told someone just 15 years ago this would be the state of the modern left they’d either laugh, think you were lying, or both. It is ludicrous, and it is madness. At this point a definitive list of all the authoritarian mendacity and chicanery of *just* 2020 -2024 would be novel-length. It is just unreal. But we can never let them forget.
“. . . pledge to take a wrecking ball . . .”
It’s never pretty when a nihilist’s mask falls off.
Rabble:
“Thank you for calling the Nihilism hotline. Don’t bother pressing anything, no one’s listening anyways.”
how many hundreds of statues did Democrats destroy during their riots over the last few years?
Their Civil War is harming America
We need to DEFUND THEM and Outlaw their public unions!
@guyventner
It would be tough to count them all, and Nancy is famous for basically ignoring it (‘People will do what they do.’). We are not dealing with sane people with good intentions here, and we’ve got to keep that at the forefront. They really do expect us to just fall in line and forget, or worse, fall in line and be convinced their actions were a good thing.
Rep. Swallowswell released a video of White House East Wing employees escaping for their lives moments before the wrecking ball hit
So Democrats call for sedition to Destroy our Government?
Democrats are Fascists Fighting their 2nd Civil War against America
At least last time, they just wanted to steal 1/2 the country, not DESTROY America
Now they OPENLY WISH TO DESTROY America
If you vote for Democrats…YOU Hate America…period, end of story!
The paid destructors of the country (mainly democrats, but many republicans as well) are getting nervous that their funding is going to dry up for two reasons: 1) The general movement of the population is away from globalism (the ultimate goal), resulting in the Bilderberg Group–and their marketing arm, the WEF–failing on that front, 2) There exists a small chance that Trump’s globalist DOJ may be pressured into actually taking legal action against all the government and NGOs that continue to conspire against the country and exploit their weak-minded minions to continue their low-level insurgency.
Trump’s globalist DOJ? What?
The same Swalwell who was in vowing the CCP’s obnoxious “honey trap” Fang Fang? Yes the same.
Involved with (not vowing).
The new ballroom has practical value and a good price. I’ll wait to see what it looks like but as long as it looks better than Obummer’s Tower of Sauron library in Chicago, it’ll be cool.
I have heard that with age comes wisdom. Why are all of the exceptions Democrats?
It will be an entertaining few years as we watch the Dem hopefuls try to outdo one another with outlandish stunts for media attention. I can just picture Eric and Fang Fang dancing in the new ballroom.
Well Swalwell, the Idiot King, is entitled to his delirious Soviet Style call for simple destruction for the sake of symbolism whether we like it or not. Now the lead MORON just needs to rustle up the private contributions for the Trump Pinata Party in 4 years! Soros is probably a great benefactor for such a project and Swalwell just needs a few more wack job Dems like Squad members and some howling Lady Dem Senators (maybe even a Murkowski / Collins – Thelma & Louise – team). HAHA gotta love wack-job Pols!!!
“(maybe even a Murkowski / Collins – Thelma & Louise – team)”
Slightly OT – I see that there is apparently a credible Dem challenge to Collin’s reelection this year. My question is, should that challenger win, how would we know the difference?
The alleged “credible Dem challenge” to Collins is a chap named Graham Platner, who received glowing accolades in national media before it was discovered he’s long been sporting Nazi tattoos. Maine is a blue state, and there’s no small number of zany progs and prog groups working within it, but the voter base isn’t completely crazy. There are also signs national Dems are working to defenestrate him. Even if Platner does manage to survive the primary process and get to the general, Collins will mop the floor with him. I write this as someone who lived in Maine for more than 30 years.
Swalwell doesn’t understand the concept of ballroom because he doesn’t need any.
No Ball Room Swalwell and Little Dick Durbin, two great Democrat leaders of men. Ugh!
Professor Turley, your fellow Democrats never fail to provide you with something to write about every day. Is it your appreciation for their efforts to push the boundaries of civility and common sense each day to provide you with writing material that has you remaining a loyal voter registered as one of those Democrats?
Someone should take a wrecking ball to Swalwell’s head. Oh, wait, it seems as if that already happened…