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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, was asked Wednesday about President Donald Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House, reminding him that many liberals want to see historic artifacts destroyed.
CNN reporter Manu Raju pressed Hawley about President Trump demolishing part of the White House complex this week and starting construction on the building’s new ballroom. The reporter suggested that President Trump may be destroying valuable historical buildings in the process.
Hawley responded that the far left has supported the destruction of statues of historical figures in the United States in recent years.
“I made this point yesterday, and I’m hearing from my liberal friends that all of a sudden they’re very concerned about our history. Really? These are the same people who took down every statue they could get their hands on in the last four years,” the congressman said.
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) recently criticized liberals who have criticized President Trump’s destruction of the east wing of the White House as historical vandalism, noting that they supported the destruction of statues and other historical artifacts in 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty)
Construction crews began demolishing the east wing facade Monday as part of a planned ballroom project. Historic preservation groups, some lawmakers, and social media users quickly voiced their criticism after seeing images of the demolition.
The White House issued a statement defending the demolition, saying the new ballroom is a privately funded addition intended to “reflect the President’s storied history of improvements and additions to the Executive Mansion.” The statement said the criticism was “unchecked” and accused media outlets of overreacting.
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President Donald Trump has begun renovations to the White House, including the controversial East Wing. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin, AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Regarding the importance of the building, Mr. Raju asked Mr. Hawley, “You know, how about this uprooting an iconic building?”
Hawley said he was not bothered by the demolition, pointing to past efforts to remove monuments to American historical figures amid racial justice protests and arguing that critics on the left lacked credibility.
He pointed to how the riots that arose from the 2020 George Floyd protests defaced and destroyed monuments to American historical figures.
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The White House has begun demolishing part of the east wing to make way for a banquet hall that President Donald Trump wants added to the building. Demolition began on Monday. (AP)
“Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt. Back then they didn’t care about history at all. Now all of a sudden they’re like, ‘Oh, the East Tower facade is iconic,'” Hawley said. “Oh, just take a break. I mean, take a break.”
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