As Democrats continue to go completely bonkers over President Donald Trump’s White House renovations, Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, is demanding that those looking for his party’s nomination in 2028 make an extreme promise.
He’s so angry that Trump has used private money to build a ballroom at the White House that he believes the next Democratic president should tear it down.
“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,” Swalwell wrote, according to The Daily Beast, referring to the new East Wing addition that has erased much of the historic structure.
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.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) October 26, 2025
The Trump administration’s project—estimated at more than $300 million—has leveled the East Wing to make way for a vast ballroom reportedly larger than the White House itself. Democrats have denounced the move as an assault on national heritage. Chelsea Clinton accused Trump of taking a “wrecking ball” to history, while Patti Davis, daughter of Ronald Reagan, called the destruction “heartbreaking.”
Swalwell has made the ballroom a recurring target on social media, writing, “Destruction dressed up as phony ‘greatness’ is Trump’s brand,” and adding, “Literally. And figuratively. Donald Trump destroyed the White House.”
Several potential 2028 Democratic hopefuls have joined the criticism. California Governor Gavin Newsom shared a demolition photo with the caption, “Ripping apart the White House just like he’s ripping apart the Constitution.”
Hillary Clinton has also weighed in, calling the project illegal and amplifying her daughter’s USA Today essay on the White House’s cultural legacy. She even introduced new merchandise—hats emblazoned with the presidential mansion and the slogan “Not his house. Our house.”
It’s not his house.
It’s your house.
And he’s destroying it. pic.twitter.com/YchFF5U1nO
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 21, 2025
Trump has said he’s building the ballroom without taxpayer expense because he thinks presidents, including future ones, shouldn’t have to set up tents on the lawn for future events.
Here is why the ballroom doesn’t bother me. It’s replacing cheap TENTS that cost the taxpayers millions to put up and take down constantly. It’s replacing unused offices with usable space and stopping the temporary tent nonsense. We are a first world country. pic.twitter.com/HiCT1LmbVi
— LibertyJ (@LibertyJen) October 25, 2025
The best part about this faux outrage over Trump building a White House ballroom is that every future President, including Democratic administrations, is going to use it constantly. pic.twitter.com/mLh6ftBFgI
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) October 23, 2025
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment on Swalwell’s challenge.
