00:00Bill Maher says Trump is not leaving the White House.
00:03Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher has sparked debate after declaring that Donald Trump's demolition of the White House East Wing is symbolic proof that he's not leaving.
00:14On Real Time with Bill Maher, the HBO host discussed the sweeping renovations with former RNC chair Michael Steele and ex-Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield.
00:25The symbolism is he's not leaving, Maher said.
00:28Who puts in a giant ballroom if you're leaving?
00:31The East Wing, once home to lavish receptions and state events, was demolished to make room for a sprawling 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
00:40Surface photos showed construction equipment tearing into the century-old structure, one of the most historic parts of the White House complex.
00:46Trump has claimed the nearly $300 million project is funded out of his own private pockets, as well as through contributions from many generous patriots and several major corporations, including Apple, Google, Lockheed Martin, and T-Mobile.
01:01During the panel, Steele called the site of heavy machinery tearing through the White House a fitting metaphor for Trump's presidency.
01:09We watched this week the destruction of a symbol of government, of our democracy, of our pluralistic society, he said.
01:17Steele went on to condemn Trump for destroying the East Wing without accountability, a sentiment Maher partially agreed with.
01:24You know, he should have gotten the permits, but that's how he does things.
01:28But it is just a building, first of all, he said.
01:31Nixon put in a bowling alley.
01:33Obama made the tennis court a basketball court, he said, adding,
01:37I can't get this mad about everything, Mike.
01:39I just can't.
01:40Priya Jain, chair of the Society of Architectural Historians Heritage Conservation Committee,
01:45told NPR the East Wing overhaul is the largest White House renovation since the 1940s.
01:51Beddingfield closed the debate by arguing that Trump's actions go far beyond aesthetics.
01:56It's part of a manner of governing that is tearing at some of the foundations.
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