BRIEFING ROOM

With grotesque fanfare, Trump turned “our” White House lawn into a UFC fight that had to be seen to be believed. And that is hardly an isolated example. Just a short distance away, a grandiose ballroom better suited to European nobility than to democratically elected American presidents is in development. All of this is part of Trump’s plan to transform our landmarks into self-serving icons and turn the presidency into a monarchy.

For more than two centuries, the White House has stood as far more than the residence of an American president. It is one of the most enduring symbols of our democracy. It is a place that tells the story of who we are as a nation, what we value, and the ideals we strive to uphold. It carries our history, our struggles, and our highest democratic ideals.

The White House belongs to all Americans: those who struggled to build our country and those who are struggling to protect it. The person who inhabits it for four or eight years is merely a temporary resident.

When George Washington chose the site for the White House in 1791, he understood that the building would carry meaning far beyond its walls. His vision was to create something dignified and enduring, yet fundamentally different from Europe's palaces. The Founders wanted no American king. Unlike the grandeur of Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Versailles, the White House was meant to convey a simple, profound message that those who govern here serve the people.

Over the generations, Americans have looked to the White House not only as the center of government but also as a place where history unfolds, and progress takes shape. In 1917, suffragists led by Alice Paul stood courageously outside its gates for two years, enduring arrest and public scorn to demand the right to vote. Their persistence helped pave the way for the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

On Sunday night, watching the White House grounds transformed into a stage for spectacle felt unsettling. A UFC fight on the South Lawn may seem like entertainment, but the White House deserves reverence. It is not, and should never be, a backdrop for political theater.

When we diminish its meaning, we risk eroding respect for the institutions that bind us as a nation. Monuments, buildings, gardens, and even reflecting pools are more than symbols to be toyed with to fulfill a personal, albeit warped, vision.