r/politics • u/theindependentonline The Independent • 1d ago

No Paywall Trump’s ballroom construction ‘likely unlawful,’ John Roberts says, but Supreme Court will allow it anyway

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ballroom-construction-unlawful-john-roberts-b3042329.html
13.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

7.4k

u/MadAstrid 1d ago

Highest court in the land - This is against the law, but because we are utterly corrupt, we are not going to do a damned thing to stop it.

1.3k

u/AndreLeGeant88 1d ago

And by the time they rule it'll be done 

782

u/Rodgertheshrubber 1d ago

Then it will be found it's of the same quality as the pool was and require a complete rebuild

381

u/homerjaythompson 1d ago

It would be hilarious if his security bunker underneath was made to such terrible standards that it collapses

146

u/Serainas 23h ago

Poetic Justice, and more than he deserves

35

u/386U0Kh24i1cx89qpFB1 22h ago

Nah tax papers will foot the eventual rebuild.

12

u/homerjaythompson 21h ago

Oh, they will 100% pay for it, but he'll still go with a grifter buddy and it will be as shitty as anything else he's done. At least we can hope. This is one of those rare times I'm actually hoping for taxpayer money to fund something sub-par.

1

u/_-Moonsabie-_ 8h ago

Truman's security state

10

u/joshuadt 22h ago

Victim of his own hubris… would be a shame… or, not

14

u/boxen 21h ago

They're gonna end up pulling him out of a hole in the ground like Saddam Hussein. Only he'll get stuck like Winnie the Pooh.

2

u/homerjaythompson 21h ago

These are the images I live for at this point

1

u/sincerelythebats_ 12h ago

How dare you besmirch the good name of Winefred Pooh. /s

57

u/c-park 23h ago

It'll be just like the ending of the Watchmen series, all the awful racists dying together. (spoiler alert)

13

u/jarious 21h ago

Mind you I want to watch it now

4

u/Klutzy-Reaction5536 20h ago

Do it. It is so good, and so timely.

1

u/jarious 20h ago

I had no faith in it but now I want to watch it

4

u/Klutzy-Reaction5536 19h ago

I mean, Regina King. I'll watch anything with her in it but it's great all around.

3

u/Sarrdonicus 17h ago

Then Watchitman

2

u/jarious 17h ago

Immawatchitman

3

u/FellowHumanNo404 10h ago

I think maybe the "spoiler alert" tag is supposed to be presented before the spoiler.

1

u/loosetranslation Indiana 10h ago

A bunker and hubris are a dangerous combination.

3

u/InevitableAd8511 22h ago

It’s the best paper-mâché money could buy.

3

u/punktualPorcupine 22h ago

Remember you wanted the (gasping for air) ventilation budget (wheeze…) to be moved to your bitcoin…wallet… (passes out)

2

u/Bgrngod 23h ago

It's going to collapse, as planned, but not until someone else is in office.

2

u/Due_Speaker4655 23h ago

This is the most likely scenario.

I wish I was kidding, but we see how these things go.

The first time he has an event there the floor will collapse from the weight since the floor was held up with bubble gum and super glue.

2

u/Beautiful_Nobody_344 22h ago

You just know he goes with the lowest bidder.

1

u/DinnaPanic 19h ago

And still won't pay them.

2

u/superxpro12 20h ago

The ol cersei ending, eh?

2

u/FishNChips-74 18h ago

That fucker is going to relocate the gold from Fort Knox to it because it’s more secure. Calling it..

2

u/--AbbieNormal 17h ago

You mean the super secret military bunker basement that he won’t shut up about? The security and intelligence folks loooove when we brag openly on TV about all of our super secret stuff.

2

u/Arc125 10h ago

Trump and Miller embrace as the ceiling comes down a la Jaime and Cersei.

1

u/StardustOasis Foreign 23h ago

Perhaps he could meet the same end as Ted Faro.

1

u/danni_shadow 21h ago

Problem is, Ted Faro took the rest of the world with him...

1

u/Spimflagon 22h ago

There's a medical wing. Trump's life will quite possibly be reliant on a medical facility he built.

1

u/homerjaythompson 21h ago

Until AI Trump can be convincing enough to rule the land

1

u/legomaximumfigure 20h ago edited 19h ago

I think he may mean for it to be his mosuleum.

1

u/homerjaythompson 20h ago

Built by the highest bidder as long as they give him his cut, with the shoddiest materials and the most minimal care. A fitting tomb for a shallow grifter.

1

u/prahSmadA 20h ago

Hopefully he’s inside

1

u/Practical_Fun7367 19h ago

Sadly, (and fortunately) his babbling about a bunker is bullshit. The upgrade to the real bunker designated to support life for dozens for an extended period was done during the Obama years. The stuff under the ballroom is important, I’m sure. But it is not a bunker. It’s either part of his typical over the top lying, or he’s too fucking stupid to understand the differences between a bunker and a secure operations center. (or whatever it is)

1

u/homerjaythompson 15h ago

I don't think there's any limit to his stupidity, so that is entirely plausible

1

u/BoutTreeFittee 18h ago

It's surely full of Russian bugs regardless

1

u/Sarrdonicus 17h ago

And juices an orange

1

u/Pixel_Knight 15h ago

Well, we’ll eee, because he is planning on holing up there instead of ever leaving office in 2029.

1

u/Erislocker 14h ago

Reminds me of flanders' bunker. a little pebble ended up destroying it

1

u/CheshireCat78 14h ago

And then can be rebuilt like the old wing.

1

u/canon12 12h ago

Pretty much count on it. Trump only chooses contractors that will provide generous kickbacks. Reflection pool is an example. Crooked people trust crooked people.

1

u/Omiyaru 11h ago

Except it will probably be the one thing that the money actually was used for, other than to fill coffers

1

u/Woknana 9h ago

Don’t worry - he used the same water proofing guy that did the reflection pool. Glug Glug 💧

1

u/LordAlvis 8h ago

Some say he's still down there in that bunker to this day.

•

u/DreamingAboutSpace 6h ago

Ah, the Cirsei end

50

u/Mistrblank 23h ago

Worse, they're going to have to tear the white house apart just to clear it for listening devices. Once they started I knew the White House is compromised.

It's like a house that's over infested with generations of roaches and rats, the only real option is to burn it to the ground.

15

u/Weird-Specific-2905 21h ago

Call Canada...

1

u/Mistrblank 21h ago

Ironically my best friend's name is Rob Ross and is a fireman.

1

u/vicariouslywatching 11h ago

Calling Kamala Harris….

2

u/Ultravagabird 20h ago

this is a good time & opportunity to get with the times and build another White House and Capitol in Illinois or St. louis - 200+ yrs ago the States were Colonies on the East Coast & DC i guess was center then. it’s now 230 yrs later& US is much larger geographically & population wise and i know many reps and Senators that would love to have a shorter commute - it makes sense.

can keep the DC White House for hosting foreign leaders/diplomats and other events and congregating with Congress there.

The DC Capitol can get tech improved & there can be a secure private link up to the other Capitol for votes -

we should do this asap as we have a great opportunity - it should’ve done ages ago

1

u/JustTestingAThing 8h ago

Yeah, at this point I liken the situation to a website or server that got hacked and compromised. You can clean up the bits you find, but you can't ever be sure you got everything and the only really safe option is to start over with the previous one as a guide.

79

u/MarvelousVanGlorious 1d ago

We can only hope it’s that shoddy. He and his administration are going to hideout in it and refuse to leave when they get blown out in 2028.

66

u/auriem 1d ago edited 23h ago

That would be the perfect opportunity to fill it up with concrete to seal the hate, ignorance and criminality in.

3

u/GraceMcClellans 20h ago

Buried in the Epstein Memorial Ballroom

3

u/lettersvsnumbers 19h ago

bunker in central Berlin

1

u/xenusaves 17h ago

Fill it with baked beans.

1

u/count023 Australia 14h ago

worked for hitler's bunker

23

u/Karinka_LI 1d ago

Hopefully we can remotely lock them in with no food or communication for 9 months.

23

u/deNET2122 23h ago

Welding is a good trade to get into these days

10

u/OlGreggMare 22h ago

Ever seen Dirty Dozen?

3

u/K2TY Alabama 21h ago

Just walk slow, act dumb and look stupid!

10

u/jdash11 21h ago

They’re currently trying to steal midterms and there seems to be little attention/no sirens blaring. November might not be the blowout we hope.

10

u/Mysterious_Floor_868 United Kingdom 23h ago

Excellent, weld the door shut with them in it.

23

u/JGPH Canada 23h ago

And it'll be full to the rafters with spy devices from foreign adversaries.

8

u/GeneralKang 22h ago

Just like the plane.

19

u/Socratesticles Tennessee 23h ago

But that’ll only come out if the democrats take power and they’ll be blamed for skimping on materials and trying to ruin trumps greatness

22

u/Makenshine 22h ago

Remember when a significant portion of the GOP was angry at Obama for failing to act to stop the 9/11 terrorist attacks as President.

The playbook has been "throw all the mud possible, then roll with anything that gains even a little traction."

2

u/Blownards 22h ago

How does that make any bit of sense?

5

u/Makenshine 22h ago

No idea. But it was getting thrown around for about 2 or 3 weeks in the lead up to the 2012 election cycle. Mostly social media and small conservative online news outlets. Mostly Tea Party aligned groups.

It's one of the things that didn't gain traction.

The most insane one that did gain traction was the "Birther" movement. Which is actually what propelled Trump into the political spotlight.

1

u/VintageLunchMeat 17h ago

insane

It wasn't insane.

Talking shit and implying shit about Obama's heritage and legitimacy and skin color worked for racist Republican voters as if it was laser-targeted.

It was effectively the endgame of the Republican Southern Strategy, and more broadly, conservativism as a whole.

Obama was in a position above and outside his caste or something, and that strongly motivated the conservatives to vote for Trump who directly addressed the issue, compared to some bland Romneyesque figure who'd go on about the economy.

See the Nation on Lee Atwater and the Southern Strategy for background on this.

3

u/Makenshine 15h ago

Yeah, but the message itself was nonsense. That was the insane part. The message resonated and stuck because it was rascist. But it made no sense.

They said Obama was not a legitimate president because he was born in Kenya and thus, not a US citizen.

Well, then Ted Cruz was born in Canada. And thus he shouldn't be allowed to run for President. But Cruz's mom was an US citizen, and thus, by US law, Ted Cruz is a natural born citizen.

Well, Obama's mother was also a US citizen. So, by US law, Obama's place of birth is a non factor on determining his citizenship. Even if the Birthers were right about the place of birth (they weren't), Obama is still a citizen.

That's the nonsensical insane part. None of the messaging is thought out. Shit is just thrown all over the fringe sites and the GOP cobbles some crazy BS based on shar got shared the most. The GOP base locking onto crazy, racist rhetoric is sadly normal.

2

u/bkbomber New York 20h ago

Remember when all it took for conservatives to get mad was a black man wearing a tan suit and a bit of dijon mustard?

Now we’ve got a traitorous pedophile and they cheer him on!

2

u/joe-h2o 12h ago

They blamed Obama for the botched response to Hurricane Katrina too.

33

u/Ralf_K 1d ago

Hey, trump will only use the highest quality paper machine and sawdust!

8

u/ChanceryTheRapper 23h ago

And asbestos!

2

u/oinkyboinky 22h ago

Only the finest grade for maximum Mesothelioma!

1

u/hume_reddit 11h ago

Beautiful, clean asbestos, freshly washed.

12

u/UndeadT Georgia 1d ago

This is the greatest eggcorn I've ever seen.

0

u/kevnmartin Washington 1d ago

Painted gold. Time to buy more stock in Krylon.

3

u/gleaf008 23h ago

That’s the grift.

2

u/ComradeJohnS 1d ago

nah this one is his furher bunker, so it’ll be well done

1

u/blackergot 23h ago

Filled with Russian listening devices, lol.

1

u/lazyFer 20h ago

Trumps family and the construction companies he used can pay for a complete restoration of ensuring these fuckers have destroyed.

Do it like trump would, just seize their assets first and let them prove what they did was legal

1

u/Anonemonemous 20h ago

It’s gonna be super compromised security-wise that the new administration need to either tear it down completely and rebuild or pour concrete into it and make it into a tomb anyway.

1

u/AlliedR2 20h ago

Good. Will be easier to demolish.

1

u/CafecitoKilla 9h ago

How is the Deflecting Pool these days? I haven't heard much about it with all the other atrocities in the news cycle.

82

u/cadium 1d ago

But if someone, besides Trump or a Republican, tries to remove it they'll block it immediately pending their ruling which will probably block it indefinitely using the opposite logic they used to protect Trump/Republicans.

40

u/mjlp716 22h ago

Don’t ask, just tear it down like he did with the east wing before they even have the chance to do anything. What are they going to do if it’s already destroyed like it should be by the next democratic administration.

14

u/lonnie123 21h ago

Yeah I don’t really think they understand the precedent this admin is setting. Literally destroy first, asks for permission after… but since it’s already destroyed you basically get permission by default

4

u/KDLGates 16h ago

They have filed an injunction to un-destroy the thing.

2

u/TheQuidditchHaderach 16h ago

Start demolition 12:01am night after election night.

38

u/Witty-Entertainer524 23h ago

The court is worthless

39

u/KinkyPaddling 23h ago

The current SCOTUS is illegitimate.

3

u/deaglebingo America 19h ago

roberts' wife's millions in kickbacks are likely unlawful too. yes.

•

u/Human_Local3519 4h ago

The whole admin is

8

u/thefocusissharp 21h ago

We The People have the ability to vote in a favorable Congress this Midterms, starting the path towards reform. Just like how MAGAts won by actually showing up to vote, it's time for everyone to do the same. Will you let a Republican be smarter than you?

2

u/jay78910 23h ago

They are taking the "we wanna sit back and see how this plays out" approach, so common nowadays amongst conservatives.

2

u/ecirnj 20h ago

You see, that keeps a future Democrat from doing … anything.

2

u/Different_Wolf_764 20h ago

Oh, it'll never actually be done. The money will disappear though!

1

u/Cold_Tea_Spill112 22h ago

Dems most likely will take control of the House in November. If they are sworn in on January and the planned tom foolery doesn't produce a High Noon scenario then they can stop it then.

1

u/Iron_Maw 22h ago

That thing is never getting built lmao

1

u/armyofant 21h ago

It will be a good place to hold military tribunals in 2029

1

u/AndreLeGeant88 20h ago

Things that will never happen

1

u/Time_Craft_5698 20h ago

That's the plan.

1

u/Vandelay_Industries- Florida 17h ago

I want it to be finished, and for the next president to demolish it. Maybe invite people to the WH and offer free sledgehammers. Would probably be done in a day.

1

u/Cael_NaMaor South Carolina 15h ago

Exactly