1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. I'm Stephen Carol and 2 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,080 Speaker 1: this is Here's Why, where we take one new story 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:14,159 Speaker 1: and explain it in just a few minutes with our 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: experts here at Bloomberg. President Trumpskin, I had the greatest 5 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: improvement to the White House in the history of the building. 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 2: Since it was originally constructed in eighteen hundred. I want 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 2: to build a ballroom. It needs it badly, a ballroom 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: that could teach six or seven hundred people. 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 3: Can any president do such a thing to the White 10 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 3: House grounds? There have been many presidents in the past 11 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 3: who have made their mark on this beautiful White House complex. 12 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 2: We determined that really knocking it down, trying to use 13 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 2: a little section, you know, the east wing, was not much. 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: It was not much left from the original. 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 2: I was devastated. I was really devastated because we had 16 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 2: heard that they were going to save this building, and 17 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 2: now it seems they didn't. 18 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 3: Trust the process. This is going to be a magnificent 19 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 3: addition to the White House for many years to come, 20 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 3: and it's not costing the taxpayers anything. The President is 21 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 3: privately funding this ballroom edition to the White House grounds. 22 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: The demolition of the east wing of the White House 23 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: to make way for Donald Trump's new ballroom, surprised architects, historians, 24 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: and the general public. Traditionally, changes to historic public buildings 25 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: in the United States are carefully reviewed by government agencies, 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: but not this time, leaving many people with questions as 27 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: to how this happened. Here's why Trump was able to 28 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: demolish the White House's East wing. Kristin Caps from Bloomberg 29 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,040 Speaker 1: City Lab joins me now for more, Kristin grow to 30 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: talk to you. Donald Trump has spoken for some time 31 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 1: about this ballroom project. What do we know about it? 32 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 2: Well, we know a little bit. The details that we 33 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 2: do know are that it's supposed to be ninety thousand 34 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 2: square feet in size, and it's going to be built 35 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 2: to host nine hundred and ninety nine people. Both of 36 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 2: those numbers have increased over Trump's administration so far, so 37 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 2: those details are still a bit in flux. We haven't 38 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 2: seen any formal proposal yet. 39 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: It's suffice to say it's a big change to the 40 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: White House as well. How does it compare to renovations 41 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: or additions that previous presidents have made to the building. 42 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 2: It's like nothing since the last White House expansion in 43 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 2: nineteen forty two. Since that time, there have, been, of course, 44 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 2: many changes. Trump himself added a tennis pavilion during his 45 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 2: first term. The White House increase the size of its 46 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 2: security perimeter fence over the course of multiple administrations. But 47 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 2: this is the biggest change in generations. 48 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: So did the East Wing have to be demolished to 49 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: be able to build this? 50 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 2: For people who knew the site really well, this demolition 51 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 2: actually wasn't a surprise. The size of the ballroom that 52 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 2: Trump is proposing to build required such a massive intervention 53 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 2: in the White House campus, which is really white compact, 54 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: that there is no room to build such a site 55 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 2: and also preserve what is existing. 56 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: So what are the rules that about making changes to 57 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: the White House? 58 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 2: There are both many rules governing this process and seemingly 59 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 2: none at all. It falls into a strange loophole for 60 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 2: historic properties in historic areas such as the White House 61 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 2: that the proposal is supposed to go before at least 62 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 2: two boards, the Commission on Fine Arts and the National 63 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 2: Capital Planning Commission, But the Trump administration has suggested that 64 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 2: demolition is not covered by these review agencies and can 65 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 2: proceed before the formal plans but of course that forces 66 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 2: the issue because no one wants to see a gaping 67 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 2: hole on the lawn of the White House. 68 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: So can we say that the Trump administration did act 69 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: within the rules? 70 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 2: Then I think that remains to be seen. There is 71 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 2: a National Park Service rule, for example, that dates back 72 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 2: to the early twentieth century, in the form of the 73 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 2: National Park Service, that requires the Park Service to issue 74 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 2: permits for demolition, to issue permits for construction. It's unclear 75 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 2: whether that happened for the White House, which is a 76 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 2: National Park Service entity. That's just one of the laws 77 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 2: that seem to be glaring in the wake of this demolition. 78 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: So do the same rules apply to all federal buildings then? 79 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: And I suppose could we see similar things happen with 80 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: other landmarks. 81 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 2: For other federal historic properties, they are covered by a 82 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 2: National Historic Preservation Act law. However, that law specifically exempts 83 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 2: the White House, the Supreme Court, and the Capital. The 84 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 2: Supreme Court and Capitol buildings have their own separate review system. 85 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 2: It's quite different. The White House falls into a kind 86 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 2: of loophole. We could see the demolition of other historic properties. 87 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 2: The Trump administration has cut most of the staff that 88 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 2: works for federal historic preservation agencies and slated several historic 89 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 2: properties for disposal. 90 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,160 Speaker 1: What do we know about the timeline for the ballroom 91 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: projects from here? The demolition has happened, but what should 92 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: we expect to happen next on the site. 93 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 2: The Trump administration has suggested that now with the demolition done, 94 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 2: it will submit its plans before the National Capital Planning Commission. 95 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 2: That process could be expedited because Trump appoints most all 96 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 2: of the members of that commission. He has also just 97 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 2: recently fired all of the Biden appointees from the Commission 98 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 2: of Fine Arts, the other relevant agency, and I expect 99 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 2: will appoint new members to that soon. Those appointees will 100 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 2: know their assignment. 101 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: And just in terms of the demolition, should we expect 102 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: any further investigations or any follow up to this change? 103 00:05:58,120 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: What is such an iconic location. 104 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,039 Speaker 2: It's an open question whether anyone has any standing to 105 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 2: bring forth any kind of suit challenging the White House demolition. 106 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 2: In a sense, all Americans feel some ownership of the 107 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 2: White House, but whether that passes legal muster remains to 108 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 2: be seen. There are also open questions about the demolition 109 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 2: process itself did not require permits for demolition from the 110 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 2: city of Washington or permits for asbestos abasement, and I'm 111 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 2: very eager to find out whether those processes were followed. 112 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: Okay, Kristin Kapps, reporter where Bloomberg City Lab. Thank you 113 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: very much. For more explanations like this from our team 114 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,039 Speaker 1: of three thousand journalists and analysts around the world, go 115 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: to Bloomberg dot com slash explainers. I'm Stephen Carroll. This 116 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: is here's why. I'll be back next week with more. 117 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening.