From Democracy to Patrimonialism: Big daddy politics in the time of Trump

[Winehole23]

These guys seem to think we just kissed democracy goodbye

There's also a Francis Fukuyama essay (https://www.persuasion.community/p/making-the-world-safe-for-criminals) on patrimonialism


In a leader-centered political order, whatever the boss says, no matter how outlandish, sets the agenda for every underling. In fact, the willingness of subordinates to parrot and defend even the most extreme parts of his stated agenda is one of the most important signs of regime loyalty, used by the leader to decide on promotions, demotions, and in cases of open criticism, retribution. Those opposed to President Trump cannot decide, say, to ignore his social media posts about making Canada the 51st state, nor can they claim that his tariff threats are just a “bargaining chip” while focusing on his efforts to subordinate the federal bureaucracy to his will. All of these stated priorities matter, precisely because the essence of patrimonialism is the leader’s arbitrary right to treat the state as his personal property.


Third, the idea that various officials in a patrimonial state administration might have conflicts of interest is little more than a quaint anachronism. The phrase “conflict of interest” itself assumes that state officials are supposed to uphold the public good rather than pursue their personal self-interest. Under patrimonial rule, however, the interests of the “people” are equated with the personal interests of the ruler and his extended household, so in principle no conflict can ever arise between the two.


So, if the U.S. government provides lucrative contracts to companies controlled or largely owned by Elon Musk, no problem. As a proven Trump loyalist, Musk deserves no less. Nor is this in any way a violation of the core ruling principle in a leader-based order: under patrimonialism, the word “corruption” loses its meaning over time as old norms of probity are eroded. The letter of the law matters only for those lacking connections to the ruling household. Indeed, violations of even seemingly minor statutes and regulations can be used to launch lawsuits and criminal cases designed to punish enemies of the regime.https://www.persuasion.community/p/sins-of-the-father

[Winehole23]

From the Fukuyama essay



Prior to the 2024 election, there was a debate about whether Donald Trump was a fascist. I thought that was the wrong moniker because fascism has specific associations with genocide and totalitarian power, and we weren’t close be being there yet. Fascism is driven by an ideology, and I don’t think Trump has ever been guided by anything that could be called an idea. I think he can be clearly labeled an authoritarian, as he and his allies like Elon Musk are deliberately dismantling existing checks on executive power in the U.S. constitutional system. He has not once sought to go through the Republican-controlled Congress to enact policies, deliberately preferring to do everything via executive orders like a king.


One of the big themes of my two Political Order volumes was the great difficulty of creating an impersonal modern state, in which your status depended on citizenship and not on your personal relationship with the ruler. A modern economy is only possible under these circumstances as well, as the state undertakes to protect property rights and adjudicates transactions without regard to the identity of the rights-holder.

The problem with state modernity is that it is unstable. Human beings are by nature social creatures, but their sociability takes the form in the first instance of favoritism to friends and family. This leads to the phenomenon of “repatrimonialization,” a long word signifying the retreat of a modern impersonal state back into patrimonialism. This is a phenomenon that has plagued many earlier societies, like Tang Dynasty China, or the 17th century Ottoman Empire, or France under the Old Regime. In each case, an emergent modern state was captured by powerful elites close to the ruler. In France, for example, the king sold rent-seeking privileges like tax collection to the highest bidder.

[Winehole23]

What is remarkable about the Trump administration is the degree to which it is open about its own corruption. The administration has fired inspectors general whose job it is to monitor and stop corruption; it has refused to enforce the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and it has made decisions favorable (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/us/politics/elon-musk-companies-conflicts.html) to the business interests of colleague-in-crime Elon Musk. Tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos came to Trump’s inauguration bearing hundreds of millions of dollars in gifts, in hopes that the king would shine favor on them. As Trump imposes tariffs on much of the world, there will be a further flow of supplicants asking for exemptions, which will be facilitated by personal side-payments.


This kind of corruption is characteristic of modern day authoritarianism. For the Bolsheviks, Nazis, or Maoists, their primary objective was not personal enrichment. By contrast, the enemies of liberal democracy today do not for the most part make an ideological case against it, as Marxists once did. Rather, they see legal institutions as obstacles to personal enrichment and attack them out of self-interest.

[Winehole23]

Robert Paxton, 2004




https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miczfsfixolk42l7343z3bpd/bafkreia7aceht3wbc53hyhpomgcppbf55wzoapmqzsi42nwx5 o5oyalkne@jpeghttps://archive.org/details/anatomyoffascism0000paxt

[Winehole23]

today's ten-dollar word: megalothymia

https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/08/23/identity-and-the-end-of-history/

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:z6rujpf4u56jfie7aqic2nfg/bafkreidso546jzjm3iyfgom2njpot4zdaidgo4u35kg3pykri dn4hpzg7u@jpeg

[SnakeBoy]

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hbA_BDNBz-T_WDInf6AwlhhC47o=/0x0:2000x1333/1520x1013/filters:focal(1245x460:1565x780)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51785621/obamas_tent.0.jpeg

[Winehole23]

^^^ highly appropriate imho

why does the new ballroom need to be bigger than the White House?

btw, we already have a state ballroom


https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.gettyimages.com%2Fid%2F5428 93409%2Fphoto%2Fthe-east-room-wird-f%25C3%25BCr-staatliche-repr%25C3%25A4sentative-anl%25C3%25A4sse-und-als-offizieller-ballsaal-genutzt.jpg%3Fs%3D612x612%26w%3Dgi%26k%3D20%26c%3D PI6D6oAijv7PwOKgHLo4AAS0sw_ZZkpXx24JFnbEVGo%3D&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f30f69a6a8708769716ad53c9652480af3966898fb7892 d91e086b77bb25aeb6

[Winehole23]

what's the problem, not big enough to fit all of Trump's billionaire cronies, would-be cronies and lickspittles?

[ChumpDumper]

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hbA_BDNBz-T_WDInf6AwlhhC47o=/0x0:2000x1333/1520x1013/filters:focal(1245x460:1565x780)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51785621/obamas_tent.0.jpeg

What is your actual opinion on the new White House convention center?

Does your emotional fragility limit you to passive aggressive posts with pictures of Black President™?

[Winehole23]

Birtherism was TRUMP's political debut, as it were

Though he dabbled before under the influence of Jesse Ventura... Reform Party 2000

[SnakeBoy]

What is your actual opinion on the new White House convention center?


It's better than a tent

[ChumpDumper]

It's better than a tent
Is it?

Why?

[Winehole23]

SAVE ME BIG DADDY, I'M LOSING IN THE FREE MARKET


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ppr6o6ogyojxayduekiir5cn/bafkreicjznlniftvkk5wx7b22oxbzaw4bqmb45g5cf7ibgg3d hh4fph57e@jpeghttps://nypost.com/2025/12/04/media/paramount-skydances-david-ellison-meets-with-trump-officials-as-netflix-makes-highest-bid-for-wbd-sources/

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ornpixmpy5ts36lh7hmi7wkp/bafkreihntjuezyscwk2kl6za6y2jbzlm4bztx7ewichva4fla nfom7flue@jpeghttps://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/democrats-press-firms-about-trump-ballroom-donations-0d88250a

[Winehole23]

Trump wants one twice as big

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jrdunuv53kpblscdnseuzmca/bafkreiepuwyrje2elssb63u57pzj6frhpdz3r57xs5qjs3ctq 73vucsaca@jpeg

[Th'Pusher]

It's better than a tent

A tent isn’t architecturally permanent—and that’s precisely the point. The White House isn’t just any building; it’s a historic structure with proportions that were carefully designed. The new ballroom, whatever its functional merits, is objectively oversized for the existing architecture and introduces an aesthetic that clashes with the restrained neoclassical design of the original building.

A tent may be temporary and less visually impressive, but it doesn’t commit future generations to living with what amounts to an architectural mistake. Once you’ve bolted a garish addition onto a national landmark, you can’t simply undo it when tastes change or when people realize it looks out of place. The White House has survived this long precisely because past stewards understood the value of preservation over the impulse to leave their own oversized mark.

Sometimes the less glamorous solution is the wiser one—something worth considering before we celebrate permanent alterations to irreplaceable buildings.

[SnakeBoy]

A tent isn’t architecturally permanent—and that’s precisely the point. The White House isn’t just any building; it’s a historic structure with proportions that were carefully designed. The new ballroom, whatever its functional merits, is objectively oversized for the existing architecture and introduces an aesthetic that clashes with the restrained neoclassical design of the original building.

A tent may be temporary and less visually impressive, but it doesn’t commit future generations to living with what amounts to an architectural mistake. Once you’ve bolted a garish addition onto a national landmark, you can’t simply undo it when tastes change or when people realize it looks out of place. The White House has survived this long precisely because past stewards understood the value of preservation over the impulse to leave their own oversized mark.

Sometimes the less glamorous solution is the wiser one—something worth considering before we celebrate permanent alterations to irreplaceable buildings.

The White House itself isn’t being altered. What’s proposed is an addition — something entirely consistent with its history. FDR’s East Wing wasn’t some architectural masterpiece; it was a rushed wartime project, purely utilitarian, and it never matched the elegance of the original residence. It served its purpose in the 1940s, but it’s outdated and inadequate for the modern presidency.

The new design, by contrast, is deliberate, proportioned, and meant to harmonize with the neoclassical style of the White House. It replaces a pragmatic but clumsy wing with one that actually fits the stature of the institution today. Preserving history doesn’t mean clinging to every makeshift addition; it means ensuring the White House remains both functional and dignified for future generations. Best of all, it costs the taxpayers nothing.

And here’s the real point: the resistance you’re voicing is exactly what we see from today’s libs on every issue. Desperate to protect the status quo, terrified of change, and blind to the fact that progress often means replacing outdated compromises with something better. Clinging to FDR’s rushed wartime wing as if it were sacred architecture is the perfect example of that mindset.

[Th'Pusher]

The White House itself isn’t being altered. What’s proposed is an addition — something entirely consistent with its history. FDR’s East Wing wasn’t some architectural masterpiece; it was a rushed wartime project, purely utilitarian, and it never matched the elegance of the original residence. It served its purpose in the 1940s, but it’s outdated and inadequate for the modern presidency.

The new design, by contrast, is deliberate, proportioned, and meant to harmonize with the neoclassical style of the White House. It replaces a pragmatic but clumsy wing with one that actually fits the stature of the institution today. Preserving history doesn’t mean clinging to every makeshift addition; it means ensuring the White House remains both functional and dignified for future generations. Best of all, it costs the taxpayers nothing.

And here’s the real point: the resistance you’re voicing is exactly what we see from today’s libs on every issue. Desperate to protect the status quo, terrified of change, and blind to the fact that progress often means replacing outdated compromises with something better. Clinging to FDR’s rushed wartime wing as if it were sacred architecture is the perfect example of that mindset.

lol. Obama’s joke at the correspondents dinner was pretty spot on. Trump is turning the WH into a gaudy casino. What do you expect when you put classless trash in office.

[ChumpDumper]

The White House itself isn’t being altered. What’s proposed is an addition — something entirely consistent with its history. FDR’s East Wing wasn’t some architectural masterpiece; it was a rushed wartime project, purely utilitarian, and it never matched the elegance of the original residence. It served its purpose in the 1940s, but it’s outdated and inadequate for the modern presidency.

The new design, by contrast, is deliberate, proportioned, and meant to harmonize with the neoclassical style of the White House. It replaces a pragmatic but clumsy wing with one that actually fits the stature of the institution today. Preserving history doesn’t mean clinging to every makeshift addition; it means ensuring the White House remains both functional and dignified for future generations. Best of all, it costs the taxpayers nothing.

And here’s the real point: the resistance you’re voicing is exactly what we see from today’s libs on every issue. Desperate to protect the status quo, terrified of change, and blind to the fact that progress often means replacing outdated compromises with something better. Clinging to FDR’s rushed wartime wing as if it were sacred architecture is the perfect example of that mindset.

Whose point is this?

You didn't write this.

[Winehole23]

structured paragraphs and compound sentences give it away

Snake Boy has never posted like that

[Winehole23]

(might be his longest post ever in this subforum ostensibly in his own words)

[Winehole23]

Trump having to live next to a demolished East Wing for three years because he didn't get permission to demolish it nor to build a ballroom in its place would be a fitting and symbolic result of his No Kings tantrum


Weeks after Trump demolished the historic East Wing of the White House to make way for the $300 million ballroom, the National Trust Preservation Committee has filed the first major lawsuit attempting to halt further construction until a “legally mandated review process” can take place.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/R5GWJ3VDEFFYNH2Y243DHFXG6M.jpg?auth=7041691a736923 5e893d57356bed03f83cd7721a56d731f6f1d39db0234f3ddd&width=800&height=533The East Wing of the White House was entirely demolished to make room for Donald Trump’s $300 million ballroom.Alex Wong Getty Images

This would include a public comment period, giving Americans the chance to have a say in the future of the much-loved building.

“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever—not President Trump, not President Biden, not anyone else,” says the group’s complaint, which was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/IHCJ2MVL3REWZJPNTTYZV6E3EQ.jpg?auth=7c17fb7277a8f8 f850c5e3ede2d0cbcd8be9f4fd6e3d5602b2788d733a5a82c4&width=800&height=533Construction crews continue to remove the East Wing of the White House on November 14.Andrew Leyden/Getty

“And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.

“President Trump’s efforts to do so should be immediately halted, and work on the ballroom project should be paused until the defendants complete the required reviews—reviews that should have taken place before the defendants demolished the East Wing, and before they began construction of the ballroom—and secure the necessary approvals."
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-ballroom-thrown-into-jeopardy-with-legal-move/

[Winehole23]

TRO hearing on Tuesday


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreic6gywwohni5iyblpjwome3b4q74kqdvembhiavb67bc 3arlrpgve@jpeg

[Winehole23]

Trump having to live next to a demolished East Wing for three years because he didn't get permission to demolish it nor to build a ballroom in its place would be a fitting and symbolic result of his No Kings tantrum

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-ballroom-thrown-into-jeopardy-with-legal-move/in which case corporate donations for the ballroom would be stripped to their basic intention -- pure bribes

[Winehole23]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-N6NRuilRH-0%2FVf08fV6d74I%2FAAAAAAAAR1k%2FQGHIzCbV4Nw%2Fs160 0%2FElizabeth-Taylor-Burl-Ives-Judith-Anderson-Cat-on-a-Hot-Tin-Roof-1958.JPG&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=4e97b67ca0cf8cec7049f7201e986873e884b246e5ab17 242b7a1ace4d467f9d

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bfdiyietterineb3cvu3ddco/bafkreihpi77jywidlfi5nepm4czd4xaakpj6daxajx2zm3ckj [email protected]/recap/gov.us... (https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645.14.0.pdf)

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:bono5gae7m6r3qpfxomshwbd/bafkreiezyyifl7nvqueczdsxhxw7uhwrd6ntjvjrvuevdowrc j7qwold7e@jpeg

[Winehole23]

Trump is trying to take over three municipal golf courses in DC, apparently he's already using them as a dump


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:pcx2nhwk5ogq7vg5jf6c5pv4/bafkreifvt4e4l3ejbeawuagichlevsy6ual56345if6nyhqx3 wsuesiuau@jpeghttps://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/courses/2025/12/15/national-links-trust-served-notice-of-default-trump-administration-washington-public-golf/87764741007/

[Winehole23]

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/images/smg/2024/11/21/SGLF/76480433007-87-778057743.jpeg?width=660&height=551&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp


The National Links Trust, which operates three municipal golf courses in Washington, D.C., was served a notice of default by the Trump administration, according to a story by the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/13/trump-dc-golf-national-links-trust/).


The report states "the default notice, dated Oct. 29, did not specify reasons the group was in default or how it could remedy any concerns. According to terms of the lease, National Links Trust had 45 days to address any concerns, which means the nonprofit group could lose operational control of the East Potomac, Rock Creek and Langston courses next week."

[Winehole23]

“National Links Trust appreciates the President’s interest in the D.C. golf courses and looks forward to the opportunity to partner with the administration to improve these historically significant facilities,” the trust announced in a statement that was released last Friday.

[Winehole23]

TRO denied, but on-site construction was limited and meetings between the parties appear to be planned


U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon denied a motion by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that would have temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s construction of a new ballroom at the White House, but he set out some requirements for the Trump administration moving forward.

Leon said in a hearing Tuesday in Washington, D.C., that the nonprofit group had not established enough irreparable harm in order to pause the construction outright, but the judge declared construction crews cannot over the next two weeks build any below-ground structures that would determine how and where the final ballroom structure will exist. Leon said any breaking of that order would result in the White House being “forced to take it down.”

The judge is requiring the government to submit construction plans to the National Capital Planning Commission by the end of the year, and the Justice Department said that the government has made “initial outreach” to set up meetings on that front.https://virtualnewss360.com/2025/12/judge-denies-request-to-temporarily-block-construction-of-white-house-ballroom/

[Winehole23]

(appears to lock in whatever the current "footprint" is)

[ChumpDumper]

Is there even an actual floorplan at this point?

[Winehole23]

Is there even an actual floorplan at this point?oh yes, the initial architect was fired for proposing too small a building

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mmagmt62ahkj544ieyfqly4j/bafkreiaputoikgdk22h6nyvf5k4xj3ma2dbqbf2xfewyomobh ltjcwty3e@jpeg

[Winehole23]

Big daddy like to trample the law



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4xwxmnh6mu62j322mglp7tt6/bafkreicwdjwwrkpbqsow4surepu5dla7oxvc5o7l3cvilz5zp 4xynndp7u@jpeg

[ChumpDumper]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mmagmt62ahkj544ieyfqly4j/bafkreiaputoikgdk22h6nyvf5k4xj3ma2dbqbf2xfewyomobh ltjcwty3e@jpeg

2001738119918555519

https://x.com/ChrisCoons/status/2001738119918555519

[Winehole23]

are bids being taken yet for the triumphal arch?

[Winehole23]

"The Donald J. Trump and...The"

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:jmte4w4x7ukciit6lci6ziau/bafkreig3ofpq3tkxcsrq7kknuciiebxgrjim3uxe5foamjpqu a65guuu7u@jpeg

[Winehole23]

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[Winehole23]

will never be built


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tsksqpjisdvtusxq6ide5tzj/bafkreieolucur7dn2d2nkqqhww5u2t22gwlc3bjtuvrgj7mfa 7vnhdelmu@jpeg

[ChumpDumper]

:lmao battleships?

Are we in an arms race with the Kaiser now?

[Winehole23]

“
The U.S. Navy will lead the design, along with me, because I’m a very aesthetic person,” Trump said.https://news.usni.org/2025/12/22/trump-unveils-new-battleship-class-proposed-uss-defiant-will-be-largest-u-s-surface-combatant-since-wwii

[Winehole23]

the annual jazz jam at the Kennedy Center is a free event



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:wufsdxzvzx36d7wppganbvpw/bafkreif6mspdbkighqkzckoq5yotamlcp6zefvo6tk4tcx2qy 2b4f3y6rm@jpeg

[ChumpDumper]

:lol "certain destruction"

[Winehole23]

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP. 5k_D1WxzKjrYmEj8ajKO6AHaDt%3Fpid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=81d0229dac9f56276f03fdbaca56997f31c9da0495003b b6c18f4587643e835d&ipo=images

[Winehole23]

"It's bigger than I told you. It's, you know -- after realizing we're gonna do the inauguration in that building, it's got all bulletproof glass, it's got all drone, they call it drone-free roof. It's dronessss -- won't touch it. It's a big beautiful safe building."

[Winehole23]

the annual jazz jam at the Kennedy Center is a free event


renaming mar-a-lago "black lives matter, trans rights are human rights, and no human is illegal" and then getting mad when kid rock declines to perform there














sponsored by Bud Lighthttps://bsky.app/profile/dieworkwear.bsky.social/post/3mba4ewifoc2k

[Winehole23]

lowest ratings ever


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qpwqyr7hpaw2abkhak2ur77o/bafkreiamb2epeuz64lvltyvk67qn5ysozaupa2lqmvez32g6z gki2ssyaq@jpeg

[Winehole23]

adding a colonnade to the West Wing to make it look less lopsided



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rlmktcyxqokl4yw2br26wdch/bafkreihfnshrjbd23f67eyuedyzleicbs54gjjtmspbj24ydq al2aq5vty@jpeg(paywalled)https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/08/trump-white-house-ballroom/

[Winehole23]

the judge seems skeptical



Roth also cited the White House pool President Gerald Ford built in 1975 and the White House Tennis Complex as two structures on the White House grounds that didn’t get direct congressional authorization.


Leon appeared skeptical of that line of argument. “The ’70s Ford pool? You compare that to ripping down the East Wing?” Leon asked. “C’mon, be serious.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/federal-judge-appears-skeptical-dojs-argument-white-house-ballroom-con-rcna255496

[Winehole23]

amid diminishing power and declining popular approval, Trump demands a triumphal arch


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tum2vvmoinupccdxjiwvif2a/bafkreifsdjwlyylbc4uilfugkvd2uhcvae3l2s46sio2dnecm l23k7pbxu@jpeg

[Winehole23]

on his mind today, the bribery ballroom

must be worried that Judge Leon will halt development
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreihdii5f6wkve2jifvgh74bmcu57rbv6mqrm5mobjydic tuxlm7hai@jpeg
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[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:z6rujpf4u56jfie7aqic2nfg/bafkreigo24jd5j3oiu6wjsjnwislajh3v47tp5y7kvubayjpv 64xn5jccm@jpeg

[ChumpDumper]

"art critic"?

Source of all the best public art and monuments.

[Winehole23]

Kennedy Center demolition announced


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreiaeteovad7f7g3hhv2ybe4ruqj56qs3jadxl57c5tqmz y6oweq7my@jpeg

[Blake]

Kennedy Center demolition announced


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreiaeteovad7f7g3hhv2ybe4ruqj56qs3jadxl57c5tqmz y6oweq7my@jpeg

:lol what a huge asshole.

My guess as to next up on this agenda: "KENNEDY HAS TOO MANY LETTERS IN THE NAME SO AS MANY EXPERTS HAVE ADVISED, THE BEST THING TO DO WILL HAVE THE TOTALLY INDEPENDENT BOARD DISCUSS DROPPING HIS NAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!"

[Blake]

2013700570607985053

Totally jes joking.

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:flkld6ot3qnpckjqkvvtzvfh/bafkreiantxxn374h3tkajc7cemxeso2gqydrldvitrstd2vws u6m6qnbei@jpeg

[Winehole23]

DOJ asks Judge Leon to defer to the national security dimensions of East Wing demolition/ballroom construction and stay any TRO he might be contemplating


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vrmx2e5gsi23srsy2n7vljvb/bafkreibxkvaxpkangfmlrgcg5wy7l37ddo2lt3k3sn6tseayf [email protected]/recap/gov.us... (https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645.39.0.pdf)

[Winehole23]

Trump graciously promise dto fund the Gateway Tunnel -- for which Congress has already appropriated funds -- from if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are named after him

Schumer declined

Each instance of executive impoundment is per se impeachable -- this is but one of myriad


President Donald Trump (https://www.cnn.com/politics/president-donald-trump-47) told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month that he was finally prepared to drop his freeze on billions of dollars in funding for a major New York infrastructure project.
But there was a condition: In exchange for the money, Schumer had to agree to rename New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after Trump.
The startling offer, which was described by two people familiar with the conversation, was swiftly rejected by Schumer, who told the president he didn’t have the power to deliver on such an unorthodox request.
In the weeks since, Trump has continued to withhold the more than $16 billion earmarked for the long-planned Gateway project connecting New York and New Jersey through a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/05/politics/schumer-trump-ny-funding-rename

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nyjm4ylfid2a7mjm6varxuiq/bafkreia5s35zyvpeym5dneh2j4s4err2qobmsqrka6iv73grm grfu3s4jy@jpeg

[Winehole23]

tarnished Trump's escutcheon, then stricken from the public record

look at that horrible shit

:lol


https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/128919f8-ad8f-4d73-b496-a298ff3f5b09/Screenshot_2026-03-16_at_6.26.30_PM.png?t=1773784173



In the ultimate culmination of Trump’s interests, the US Mint may soon produce a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing his image. It’s part of the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary—otherwise known as the semiquincentennial—and, if produced, would be in addition to a proposed one dollar coin (https://www.cfa.gov/system/files/meeting-materials/10-CFA%2022JAN26-8-Mint-Semiquincent%20Trump%202026-pres.pdf?utm_source=www.thehandbasket.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=us-mint-takes-down-video-of-meeting-criticizing-proposed-trump-24k-gold-coin) with Trump’s image that was previously announced (https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/03/business/trump-coin-treasurer-250-anniversary?utm_source=www.thehandbasket.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=us-mint-takes-down-video-of-meeting-criticizing-proposed-trump-24k-gold-coin). Now The Handbasket is first to report that, per multiple members of a government coin committee, video of their recent meeting during which they voiced strong objections to the Trump coins’ production—because “no nation on Earth has issued coins with the image of a democratically-elected leader during the time of their service”—has disappeared from the US Mint’s Youtube page (https://www.youtube.com/@USMINT/videos?utm_source=www.thehandbasket.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=us-mint-takes-down-video-of-meeting-criticizing-proposed-trump-24k-gold-coin). While this particular instance of federal censorship is about coins, the larger message is loud and clear: Dissent will not be tolerated.



The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC), an impartial group that advises the Treasury Department on issues of design, held their most recent meeting on February 24th. Prior to that, the Mint added an agenda item to the official meeting notice (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/19/2026-03304/public-meeting-of-the-citizens-coinage-advisory-committee?utm_source=www.thehandbasket.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=us-mint-takes-down-video-of-meeting-criticizing-proposed-trump-24k-gold-coin) reading: “review and discussion of a Semiquincentennial Gold Coin.” However, acting CCAC chair Donald Scarinci announced at the outset of the meeting that he was using his discretion to remove the agenda item, in addition to any talk of the one dollar coin, because “Only those nations ruled by kings or dictators display the image of their sitting ruler on the coins of the realm."



The following day, the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/us/trump-coins.html?utm_source=www.thehandbasket.co&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=us-mint-takes-down-video-of-meeting-criticizing-proposed-trump-24k-gold-coin) published a story about the meeting. Three hours later, Scarinci told The Handbasket, the recording was gone.

ttps://www.thehandbasket.co/p/mint-trump-gold-coin-ccac-video-removed

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3a5ph4is4fipphnzxpnr5jh4/bafkreifdqxivkaar3j3avstvtdw44gt4ekay75v66knniebxf sslgd75qa

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:znq4ivuvldeipki6mcid4qfd/bafkreifdyirt7n2mndowpu7edr3jum6usfcvvd6kdkrw4ghcm ljr4dn2zi

[Winehole23]

what an asshole



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4usmserhjqkvhldgedfjb3jw/bafkreibzsykqfqh5aonhxrsrif6gl5cawbe2uixey7f775tmj 4tbu6rkyq

[Winehole23]

Judge Leon lays a TRO on the Trump ballroom project



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:bfdiyietterineb3cvu3ddco/bafkreibydj27skonowgjf4z6baos2etevvsvsgyxr2gjjzamx 5f42t2sp4https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645/gov.uscourts.dcd.287645.60.0_3.pdf

[Winehole23]

"ultra vires"



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:yokssolxkvz4lobktvx6yvxb/bafkreidb4glmqp7b5zo43heatkbsqufxaemmbznolkkdohyzs zncu3eam4

[ChumpDumper]

Needs a court order to have a front door on this stupid place.

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:yokssolxkvz4lobktvx6yvxb/bafkreicjypfhbiy567dtn3u5p3vihmipx6ummffhl2jadk5tl 7e3fgt3da

[Winehole23]

lol Judge Leon encouraging Trump to ask for an appropriation from Congress


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hpdaz5zbsrcozaxkjmttpsxn/bafkreiceylp22qsmr6u2ov3b3rtc6jkdtbbeaoiqqni5uxmao lo4onryxi

[Winehole23]

I hope we can all rely on Trump keeping his cool about his bribery ballroom getting paused



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreif6ytcvdoxu5c7e4ub5jg5skt4evbqcp6eaxezlz3sua otjcr62em

[Winehole23]

Trump having to live next to a demolished East Wing for three years because he didn't get permission to demolish it nor to build a ballroom in its place would be a fitting and symbolic result of his No Kings tantrum

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-ballroom-thrown-into-jeopardy-with-legal-move/

[Winehole23]

foreign steel company throws large bribe directly into White House demolition pit


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:z6rujpf4u56jfie7aqic2nfg/bafkreica7fp5xpb7cbzzzxtsaeuuvsxbvyq657cdouvwqf6bh s3gypmyi4

[Winehole23]

look at this horrible shit

what is his triumph?

:lol


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:3wyeaqrj7tfpaiib7mqpbrxq/bafkreifydbxkk65mmzbykcebibsfu6ckwumsp3tldx75rrdt7 x5ckaahim

[Winehole23]

lol Trump being so impatient for the accolades of posterity as to build them for himself beforehand

[Winehole23]

really interested to know, what's Trump's big win?

I'm not seeing it

[Winehole23]

Big Daddy is very worried about his bribery ballroom



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/bafkreiawgu5tbwjuul3hdzqkyafsvbpnkzwjfrzgjpbh75gse 6wirafiyi

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreibireds4jsufjxxjnd27nwqkom42vhzhwdalcxogbtbc kb4gbplm4


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreidxptx6haioynnbbtn2n5agpclf7dboiasckdc23xfhn gk7xz7w4q

[Winehole23]

lol Trump causing the national security problem he's complaining about by demolishing the East Wing

[Winehole23]

(Starts WWIII, but is very distracted by ballrooms and triumphal arches)

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:v6gv5idm5xmbdzzlcl3xech3/bafkreib6c5znqrxpot7axlkd5l7odc3fuuoiygttv7jcdf7ne ttpl5hhsa

July 21 1935: The Führer orders a new reception hall and ballroom to "entertain foreign diplomats" at the Chancellery. Underneath the dance floor is an air raid shelter. A 2nd deeper bunker is built next to this in 1944, where he would spend his last days as the Reich collapsed.

[Blake]

Big Daddy is very worried about his bribery ballroom

Lol "The ballroom is deeply important to our national security"

The shit these Trump tards eat....

[Winehole23]

Lol "The ballroom is deeply important to our national security"Trump loves his bunker

[Winehole23]

tacky tacky tacky

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:q7tjqlj55q5j54aoipdc6r7i/bafkreibquzushqf4icppnvoarhe5yabjt6mfjptjumxl64uhj i7ipcypjq

[Winehole23]

Trump’s fixation on White House ballroom is increasing, Post analysis finds
The president has publicly highlighted his ballroom project on roughly a third of the days this year.
hhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/19/trump-ballroom-public-mentions/

[Winehole23]

Trump props himself up on the Leeroy Jenkins WHCA shooter to tout his bribery ballroom

[Winehole23]

this is the right way, but what happens to the donations already made?

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:haw3ukxfc5ppinj2rhd5gcoa/bafkreicq7sio7aaio5gv4z5yiujh6ixbkeauudodyjnxi2rs4 6oxwis6bm


Sen. Lindsey Graham R-SC, Sen. Katie Britt R-AL, and Sen. Eric Schmidt R-MO unveil plans to authorize $400 million in taxpayer funds to pay for a new White House ballroom.

[Winehole23]

did Trump write this?


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreidnb4msxn5gxwapanoirjucsx6js47e3guvdjt75dgnv wvgynio7q
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreidvtez4m4rptzdwwsypyzfc7ktstlrkl5i6kicfzctny vuyy4xzvu
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreiao5q4hpyyixftey4wka4nxk3ctofvnejovrvymg5os6 77ynxyv3y

[Winehole23]

it has become more or less normal for DOJ to mislead courts and pass along lies from other government agencies


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:2vtbmhmrwzbqcfv4we4uxzzt/bafkreih2x3ztsvftz5k63mifhgnjlic7yjkvw5b3qrzax3ldy 6p5f4b2bu

[Blake]

this is the right way, but what happens to the donations already made?

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:haw3ukxfc5ppinj2rhd5gcoa/bafkreicq7sio7aaio5gv4z5yiujh6ixbkeauudodyjnxi2rs4 6oxwis6bm

$400 million? Bullshit. Where's DOGE

[Winehole23]

sui generis corruption


The licensor in this case is DTTM Operations, LLC, which manages Trump’s trademarks and secured the trademark for “Donald J. Trump International Airport” in February. Donald Trump Jr. is the president of DTTM, according to his signature on the draft agreement. The agreement states that while Trump and his affiliates can’t profit from the purchase or sale of these Trump airport branded items, they do have the power of determining who gets to manufacture them.

“That’s also unusual,” Gerben said. “Normally a license agreement says that the goods have to be of a certain quality. It doesn’t say that you have to purchase them from a retailer that we’re approving them from.”

Another notable provision in the agreement gives Trump veto power over how his biography is presented at the airport, ensuring he can strike down information he finds unflattering. The county is allowed to use Trump’s name, image and biographical information to market and promote the airport, according to the agreement, but Trump’s companies get to approve or deny any of these uses beforehand. “It’s not just a non-partisan individual that’s going to be able to write marketing materials or talk about Donald Trump. It’s going to be him and his organizations getting to control the messaging here,” Gerben said.



https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article315628493.html?giftCode=4c3106d268f9d2eef88 00986c3b56d8eb9dd56c17edc1f50ec0cdba2f23de874

[Winehole23]

toxic debris from East Wing excavation dumped on public golf course


With construction well under way, the administration has turned to the logistical question of what to do with the so-far-collected 30,000 cubic yards of rubble from the demolished East Wing. The answer was a golf course—just not one that the president visits when he engages in rounds of his favorite past time. The rubble landed at the East Potomac Golf Links, a public course two miles from the White House that the president also plans to renovate into a “world-class” facility. However, new data indicates that debris contains toxic metals.


A recent interim sampling report (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=463&projectID=133318&documentID=150924) published by the National Park Service and conducted by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., a construction services firm that has consulted for the government for decades, found the soil collected last month at the golf course tested positive for lead, chromium, and other toxic metals. As of April, the National Park Service, part of the Department of the Interior that oversees federal land, had moved more than 2,000 truckloads of excavated soil from the White House East Wing to East Potomac Golf Links land.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/debris-from-the-white-house-east-wing-demolition-was-dumped-at-a-nearby-public-golf-course-and-contains-toxic-metals-national-park-report-finds/ar-AA22A79E

[Winehole23]

called Rachel Scott a bitch for asking

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4p2civbp5qvabihjsxaquen2/bafkreigfvsrbahiaawblamlr26hv7mvnj3utpovvo6t2wb56m kw7xseitm


Q: Why focus on all these projects right now with the war in Iran?

Trump: This place was a disgusting place. You probably don't see dirt but I do. Such a stupid question. You can understand dirt better than I can. This is one of the worst reporters. A question like that is a disgrace to our country

[Winehole23]

there's a history there

https://ew.com/thmb/LSYG59kjMo6g0KhqsxglliUUAoE=/2000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc() :format(webp)/trump-cnn-073124-2b76520bc2fa428da242e903adf3e28c.jpg

https://ew.com/donald-trump-nabj-interview-rachel-scott-nasty-hostile-8686897

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:eivqo2tskdfn4dbrm3dv2mku/bafkreie447b3awjb4ydasteyz4i2i7e7grm7b4jwxtzxukdlx ig7akirea

[Winehole23]

hahahahaha




The decision to omit the security funding came after twin blows: Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled over the weekend that the provision didn’t comply with the strict rules governing what Republicans can put in their filibuster-skirting bill because it funded activities outside of the Judiciary Committee’s jurisdiction.

And several GOP senators aired public concerns (https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/19/senate-ballroom-funding-ditch-00928837) about including any ballroom funding in a bill otherwise dedicated to immigration enforcement. A larger swath of Republicans were privately opposed, with the mood souring further Tuesday amid anger over Trump’s decision to endorse Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the upcoming GOP primary runoff in Texas.



Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Republicans during the lunch Wednesday that both factors — the parliamentary issues and the vote count — remain obstacles to including the Secret Service security funding, according to two people granted anonymity to describe the private gathering.


https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/20/ballroom-security-funding-reconciliation-00930193

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:loioxuzamtqif6qemywpksmz/bafkreigeny4ve6zvx3tyonbtf4gn7spcpxbl2vdy2nkk2cuuc l3uj4rjhy

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rrrz7ybcoecyzw6clbrheekb/bafkreie2p3552jnmezrtdmebgz4w57vhdpeodcrvmxksilre2 nzxeiq7am


Most of them will be members of the military, but some of the seats will go to people who have forked out $1.5 million.https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/05/06/ufc-selling-1-5-million-white-house-tickets-that-include-access-to-conor-mcgregors-comeback/

[Winehole23]

Trump appointees push $250 banknote with his portraitThe printing director who resisted the effort said she was reassigned last month. “The buck stopped here,” she wrote in her goodbye.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/05/28/trump-250-bill-pushed-by-treasury-appointees/

[Winehole23]

Starting last year, two political appointees at the Treasury Department — U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior adviser, Mike Brown — repeatedly urged staff at the agency’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare prototypes of the note, according to the employees, who said the move raised concerns because federal law currently allows only deceased people to appear on bills.

[Winehole23]

The employees spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:c4jpjuq4rbyx2cxicm264lyl/bafkreifli7oizuxbfjytaglefr545t5npu45pg3r3nxnp4z54 uu544wcmu

[Winehole23]

hahahaha



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:sdfhzkjavqo5ifiofn4uafrb/bafkreiborj7d72k27qxf7bsnemrvk4xds6gki6w6363wo5xyk w6loza7km



https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:sdfhzkjavqo5ifiofn4uafrb/bafkreicgry2m73wery5esfvhi24w3yof7wd6wh5bpnrh57ugs 43tajxqsa

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:eauuwsahg7ufqzt3l3ukksbd/bafkreigxjtjzcaxt25cmtvyyt6x4adkps5soj63es44ydxrcb wgmhjcrnu

[Winehole23]

:lmao


https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:jmte4w4x7ukciit6lci6ziau/bafkreiclesfmnpxbfageioq2kwn5fat3657r2xbkmmpxupdaf le44qlvqy
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:jmte4w4x7ukciit6lci6ziau/bafkreiextvgehjf7f6girij4ij2wzwvyz67nig5t3lavrzrs4 4rjp6mtoi

[Winehole23]

lol "no interest" once his name is removed

[Winehole23]

when Caesar started putting his face on Roman coins, opinion turned in the Roman elite

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wbsyxxtht2fli5uvix6l55d4/bafkreia763zvxezl5hj7uvfe7ebcy3iieeqtp7yq6pbo5jgt4 ur5medb3m

[Winehole23]

couldn't push it through reconciliation -- too unpopular


U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOHN THUNE SAYS HE WANTS TRUMP WEAPONIZATION FUND DROPPED FROM IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT SPENDING BILL


Donald Trump’s White House ballroom was dealt a blow after Senate Republicans formally abandoned their efforts to provide $1 billion in taxpayer funding for the project.https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-humiliated-after-senators-pull-ballroom-cash/

[Winehole23]

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:otlhvherlegf5ewb6di6b7yb/bafkreihf2oetbfjvhc4vkh7u3yoqgujvvvrybcdbdqoueqdy2 opvg2fgtq