Brandon Gill

The demolition of the East Wing of the White House for a ballroom, and the construction of a UFC arena on the South Lawn of the presidential property, are sights which have sparked outrage and condemnation by US president Donald Trump’s critics – and now, one attempt by a Republican politician to flip criticism of Trump “destroying the White House” onto Democrats has backfired significantly.

In a post to X/Twitter on Tuesday, Texas representative Brandon Gill shared a video of Pride celebrations at the White House during Joe Biden’s presidency in 2024, when the building’s iconic pillars were covered in the colours of the rainbow.

He wrote: “To Democrats claiming that President Trump is ‘destroying the White House’ by adding a much needed ballroom, what is this?”

Except, with the pillars now back to their usual white colour, other X/Twitter users were quick to point out that the change to the White House was a temporary one:

“Bright colours, Skippy. And they weren’t permanent,” tweeted political blogger Charles P. Pierce:

Political commentator Jamie Bonkiewicz wrote: “It’s f***ing construction paper”:

“I don’t see any buildings destroyed,” replied one user:

While another noted it was “colored paper. That was removed afterwards”:

June is Pride Month, though The Hill reports that Trump declined to issue proclamations recognising this throughout his first term, and his press secretary Karoline Leavitt ruled out one last year, too.

“But I can tell you this president is very proud to be a president for all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed,” she said.

Why not read…?

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