The project’s price tag has seemingly grown by 100 percent since Trump first pitched it in July. The original $200 million cost became $300 million in October, as soon as Trump started tearing into the White House East Wing. The historic wing has been completely razed in the process, despite the president’s initial promises to build the addition “near but not touching” the actual White House.
The National Park Service also said this week that construction of the eyesore isn’t projected to be completed until summer 2028. That’s…six months, at best, before Trump’s term ends. Given how much he seems to care about this stupid party venue, it certainly raises questions about whether Trump is scheming to extend his stay in the White House.
Speaking of! At the Tuesday night reception, Trump was flanked by far-right billionaire and GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson, who said on stage that she’d discussed the “legal thing about four more years” with disgraced sex pest lawyer Alan Dershowitz. She turned toward Trump and said, “We can do it. Think about it.” Then she whispered something in his ear. Trump replied, “She said, ‘Think about it. I’ll give you another 250 million.’”
The vibes are absolutely rancid, and they get worse: Dershowitz has written a book that reportedly concludes that the U.S. Constitution is ambiguous about whether a president can serve a third term in office. Dershowitz, who also served as Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer, told the Wall Street Journal that he gave Trump a draft copy of the book this week. It’s literally titled “Could President Trump Constitutionally Serve a Third Term?” and is set to be published in March.
Apparently, the two discussed the book and its crackpot analysis of the 22nd Amendment, which says that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” But Dershowitz is making a ridiculous distinction between the verbs elect and serve, arguing that the Constitution doesn’t prevent the swearing in of someone who won a third term. He told the WSJ of his conversation with Trump, “I said, ‘It’s not clear if a president can become a third term president, and it’s not clear if it’s permissible.’”
How did Trump respond? “He found it interesting as an intellectual issue,” Dershowitz said. “Do I think he’s going to run for a third term? No, I don’t think he will run for a third term.”
But, uh, when the Washington Post asked the White House for comment about the Dershowitz conversation, spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: “There has never been an Administration that has accomplished as much in less than one year than the Trump Administration. The American people would be lucky to have President Trump in office for even longer.”
So, yeah, perhaps Trump is hoping to get more use out of that ballroom than just a few months.
Lol, lmao:
"I have not lost control of the House"- Speaker Mike Johnson, in a press gaggle off the House floor a few minutes ago
— Aaron Fritschner (@fritschner.bsky.social) 2025-12-17T17:12:40.789Z
Trump-related barf:
- The Trump administration is preparing to ramp up investigations to strip some naturalized Americans of their citizenship. [New York Times]
- The unemployment rate hit a four-year high. [MS Now]
- Headline: “Head of workplace rights agency urges white men to report discrimination” [Associated Press]
- The Coast Guard enacted—then abruptly deleted—a policy downgrading swastikas and nooses from hate symbols to merely “potentially divisive.” [Washington Post]
- Alleged Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said he supports Trump’s blockade of Venezuelan oil. [PennLive/Bluesky]
- The Trump administration slapped Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center after the institution’s board purported to rename the facility, which they cannot legally do. [CNN]
- The admin also installed plaques mocking former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama under their portraits in the White House colonnade. [NBC News]
Non-Trump barf:
- Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has endorsed JD Vance for president in 2028, even though the Vice President is not yet running. [Politico]
- The Democratic National Committee changed course and won’t release an autopsy of the 2024 elections after all. [New York Times]
- South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is up for reelection next year, no longer sponsors the Dream Act, a bill that would give citizenship to people brought to the U.S. as minors. [NOTUS]
- Former NBC sportscaster-turned-right-winger Michele Tafoya is considering running for Senate in Minnesota. [MinnPost]
This has been your Friday Barf Bag, thanks for reading!
