Ballroom Blitz: Trump Builds a Ballroom While the World Crumbles
By Doughun Shin via Unsplash
By Emma Crosson
While Gaza is suffering a war and genocide, school shootings terrorise communities, a poverty crisis and marginalised groups’ basic human rights are being stripped away, Trump’s priority remains on constructing a ballroom in the White House.
This narcissistic act only amplifies what a laughingstock America has become. While the country falls apart, the man who says, “Make America great again,” is more concerned about having a ballroom than fixing his country’s problems.
The BBC shared devastating images of the Whitehouse being bulldozed, as Trump dares to destroy a historic building for something so trivial. So far, $250m has been spent on the ballroom, and Trump himself said that he would invest his own money into this.
Essentially, Trump cares more about having his own private ballroom than he does about ending the genocide in Palestine or the war in Ukraine.
This shows that he’s more than capable of investing large amounts of money in causes that are in need. Trump could donate millions to help people living in poverty or handle homelessness in America, yet he chooses not to.
A survey conducted by Statista found that 49.1% of US adults felt that the cost-of-living crisis is the biggest challenge in America currently. This came above physical health, which was a vastly lower 26.3%. The country is in a crisis, with people struggling to make ends meet.
Meanwhile, Trump is smugly bragging about how he would spend millions of his money on building a ballroom. By prioritising demolishing part of the Whitehouse for his benefit, Trump is making a mockery of the working class.
He’s showing that as America’s leader, he couldn’t care less about the American people; he’s a narcissist who only cares about his ego.
It's not just America that’s feeling the effects of Trump’s selfish actions. Scotland is also facing a cost-of-living crisis, with millions of Scots currently living in poverty while the rich keep getting richer.
Yasmin from Paisley said, “It’s just selfish. Trump only cares about the rich; poverty people get nothing.
“Even here in Scotland, America influences the UK. All the riots that are happening in America, they’re happening here now.”
Keira from Coatbridge said, “It’s genuinely so insane. There are many other things they could be spending that money on that benefit other people, including the cost-of-living crisis. The inflation is going up.”
Trump has shown a complete disregard for the people of Scotland, following his most recent visit. Thousands of taxpayers’ money was spent to provide extra security, while Scotland is facing their own cost-of-living crisis.
The world is in a state of crisis. Palestinians are being murdered daily and people living in poverty are in fear of losing their rights. Trump should be the person to put us at ease. However, he is not only contributing to these situations, but he’s rubbing it in our faces.
To watch the world crumbling before his eyes and use his power to build a ballroom in the Whitehouse is not just narcissistic, it’s a symbol of how the most powerful people don’t care about us.