Is Trump’s White House renovation a big deal or no deal?

In this newsletter last week, I wrote that I wasn’t overly concerned about President Donald Trump tearing down the East Wing of the White House to put up a ballroom. My exact words, in fact, were that it was a “story I care very little about.”

My overall point: There are way more things Trump is doing these days that are potentially more damaging to the country and our democracy than renovating the White House, especially if he’s not using public money.

That stance did not go over well with many Poynter Report readers.

One reader wrote to me, “I am furious that he showed so little regard for property that does not belong to him, and to throw up (literally) a gaudy showroom to entertain his rich pals. … Now I’m (ticked) off at you too. Is there no end to the misery this horrible man is shoving down our throats? Outrage over his insane behavior has to be louder and definitely more effective, and you and Poynter should be supporting the outrage more effectively.”

There were several more emails along those lines, but that best represented the anger.

I get and respect those who are upset, although I stand by the assertion that there are other things to be far more concerned about.

But I should note that Trump’s major renovations remain a hot topic in Washington and around the country.

Over the weekend, The Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts wrote, “The East Wing is gone. Here’s why it’s been called ‘the heart’ of the nation.”

Roberts wrote, “Physically, it means that the offices of the first lady and her staff have been demolished. The office of the social secretary — which oversees all entertaining and social events at the White House — was located there. Those elegant invitations created by calligraphers? Painstakingly created in the East Wing. The grand entrance for guests visiting the White House? Gone. The intimate family movie theater adjacent to the East Colonnade was also razed, according to the Hollywood Reporter, as well as the bunker underneath the East Wing footprint.”

She added, “Symbolically, it’s the end of an era, and has been seen as a slight to the traditional respect for the Office of the First Lady. The president’s wife has the demanding, unpaid, full-time job of representing the United States throughout the globe. It’s soft power, reflecting both the priorities and influence of the president’s most trusted and valued partner — and it was centered in the East Wing.”

The New York Times wrote, “7 Voters Weigh In on Trump’s New Ballroom.” The voters seem fairly representative of what those around the country are feeling. Trump supporters think this is no big deal. Those on the left are more bothered.

And The Washington Post editorial board weighed in: “In defense of the White House ballroom.”

The board wrote that a new ballroom was desperately needed, and that “The next Democratic president will be happy to have this.” The board added, “Preservationists express horror that Trump did not submit his plans to their scrutiny, but the truth is that this project would not have gotten done, certainly not during his term, if the president had gone through the traditional review process. The blueprints would have faced death by a thousand papercuts.”

The board concluded by writing, “The White House cannot simply be a museum to the past. Like America, it must evolve with the times to maintain its greatness. Strong leaders reject calcification. In that way, Trump’s undertaking is a shot across the bow at NIMBYs everywhere.”

NIMBY, by the way, stands for Not In My Backyard types.

Now it needs to be mentioned that Amazon — which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Post — is among those helping pay for the new ballroom construction. (Status reports that the editorial originally didn’t remind readers of Bezos' Amazon-Post-White House connection, but later added the disclaimer.)

Meanwhile, there was this interesting nugget in the Status media newsletter from Jon Passantino: “It’s being paid for by some of the largest corporations in America: Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google, T-Mobile and others. And for one company in particular, the decision to help fund Trump’s destruction of White House history has become a public embarrassment. On NBC News and MSNBC in recent days, anchors have taken pains to note — sometimes with audible discomfort — that their corporate parent, Comcast, is among the donors helping bankroll Trump’s ballroom. The move has left the network’s journalists in the awkward position of covering the story of their own company’s complicity. For Comcast and its chairman and chief executive, Brian Roberts, it marks a moment of corporate humiliation, being publicly shamed on his own air for deference to Trump, the same vengeful president who has repeatedly targeted Roberts by name.”

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Bracing for impact

Jamaica is bracing for what could be the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the island. As of Sunday afternoon, Hurricane Melissa was packing 140 mph winds and was located just a little more than 100 miles south of Kingston. Meteorologists were predicting the slow-moving storm would strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane and could make landfall late Monday into Tuesday. Aside from the damaging winds, rain totals could reach up to 40 inches.

The strongest hurricane to ever make landfall over Jamaica was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. That was a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds.

The Washington Post’s Ben Noll, Ruby Mellen, Brady Dennis and Douglas MacMillan wrote, “Why Melissa’s intensification en route to Jamaica is so extraordinary.” The Post noted that the National Hurricane Center says to expect extensive infrastructural damage, long-duration power and communication outages and isolation of communities.

That could make media coverage — critical to helping those affected get aid — difficult.

Jamie Rhome, the deputy director of the Hurricane Center, said in a statement that the storm “is going to create a catastrophic event.”

The latest at CBS News

Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, continues to make a mark in her new role.

Status’ Oliver Darcy reports that Weiss is potentially looking for someone to take over as lead anchor on the “CBS Evening News.” Right now, the newscast has multiple anchors.

Darcy writes that internal candidates include “CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil and Norah O’Donnell, who was the “CBS Evening News” anchor from 2019 to 2025. Darcy reports that Weiss is intrigued by another external candidate: Fox News’ Bret Baier. Darcy writes, “To be clear, Baier is one of several names that have been discussed.”

Darcy adds, “Despite the interest, it's hard to fathom a scenario in which Baier could end up at CBS News in the near future, even if he wanted to leave the comfort of Fox News to work for Weiss. Baier signed a contract extension in 2023 that puts him at the Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch-owned network through 2028, at about $14 million a year, I'm told. It’s hard to see the Murdochs letting Baier out of his deal.”

So, if Baier is unlikely to move, why is this even worth mentioning? Well, it shows that Weiss is willing to tap into Fox News for on-air talent. As Darcy notes about Baier, “Though he occasionally scrutinizes Donald Trump with flashes of mild skepticism, his program mostly operates within the gravitational pull of the MAGA movement. It regularly features dishonest right-wing pundits who mislead the audience and minimize Trump's unhinged and dangerous behavior. And, perhaps more notably, Baier rarely delivers the sort of unflinching journalism that this moment in American politics demands, such as calling out Trump's lies in plain terms, confronting the erosion of democratic norms, or examining how the chaos unleashed by Trump’s administration continues to destabilize America and the world.”

Meanwhile, Variety’s Brian Steinberg has a new piece out: “Bari Weiss’ First Weeks at CBS News: ‘60 Minutes’ Miss, Hunt for New Talent, Concerns Over Union Status at Free Press.”

Writing what she wants

This was jarring. The Wall Street Journal allowed Kristi Noem, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, free rein to write a piece that was published on its website on Sunday and in Monday’s print edition of the paper. The headline online was “The Left Attacks the Rule of Law.”

It partly reads like a promotional ad for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but it’s mostly just Noem airing grievances about what she sees as the bogeyman: the left.

Noem started off writing about her “friend” Charlie Kirk, the late right-wing influencer. Noem wrote, “Charlie’s assassination forced Americans to confront a dark truth: Leftist extremists are waging war on the rule of law, liberty and our way of life. Terrorists, gang members and rioters routinely attack federal law-enforcement officers working to reimpose order after years of chaos under the Biden administration.”

That paragraph includes unchecked assertions in an opinion piece that blames the mainstream media and a “network of nonprofits that support extremist ideology” (she doesn’t actually name any specific media outlets or nonprofits). She writes, “Those on the left stoking this violence need to turn the temperature down before more people are hurt or killed.”

She also blames “pro-criminal politicians,” as if there is such a thing.

It’s wildly hyperbolic language that you would think would have faced a tad more editing from a serious publication like the Journal.

She also praises President Donald Trump, while defending ICE agents wearing masks and the use of federal force in cities that don’t want federal involvement, including Washington, D.C., Portland and Chicago.

The comments under the piece were, perhaps, more interesting than the piece itself. Noem had some supporters, but many commenters blasted the Journal. One commenter put it this way: “Shame on the Journal for publishing this nonsense. Americans are already being smothered by misinformation to the point they can't tell right from wrong anymore. The last thing we need is the Journal amplifying the ‘leftist terror’ agitprop from our minister of propaganda. Just terrible.”

Media tidbits

• Be sure to check out the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast.” I speak with Jeremy Barr, media reporter for The Guardian. We talk at length about Bari Weiss taking over as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
• Speaking of Barr, here’s his latest: “Ex-60 Minutes producer Bill Owens says bosses discouraged him from covering Gaza and Trump.”
• “CBS News Sunday Morning” and correspondent Robert Costa featured California Gov. Gavin Newsom in “Gavin Newsom on opposing Donald Trump: ‘He's a wrecking ball.’”
• New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo suffered a gruesome dislocated ankle during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Fox Sports did not show a replay of what happened. Announcer Kevin Burkhardt told viewers, “It’s not pretty.” Awful Announcing’s Drew Lerner writes, “Networks showing more discretion with injury replays as Cam Skattebo goes down.”

Hot type

• The Washington Post’s Karin Brulliard with “A colossal Buc-ee’s broke a small Colorado town.”
• The Atlantic’s Sally Jenkins with some smart perspective on the NBA gambling scandal: “The NBA Indictments Are Not What They Seem.”

More resources for journalists

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• Journalists: It’s time to take care of yourself, too. Enroll now in a free session on embodiment practices to rest and regroup.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected].

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