Why is Trump demolishing the White House's East Wing? Because he wants to | Arwa Mahdawi

Donald Trump has quite the passion for American history. If there’s a controversial statue commemorating a dead white supremacist out there, there’s a good chance the president has gone to bat for it.

“Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments,” Trump tweeted in 2017, in response to a push to remove Confederate monuments. “You can’t change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson – who’s next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish!” Trump added.

Trump is right that you can’t change history. But, if you’re the president, you can abruptly bulldoze it with no permits and no public input. The 123-year-old East Wing of the White House, the home of offices for every first lady for almost half a century, is now a pile of rubble. After Trump said in July that the historic building would not be touched, it was stealthily bulldozed to make way for a $300m ballroom. According to Trump, there was a teeny little change of plans “after really a tremendous amount of study with some of the best architects in the world”.

Speaking of plans, the bulldozing went ahead without any such thing being submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal agency that oversees construction and renovations to government building. But don’t worry, according to the White House, construction plans will be coming soon. Watch this space!

While the likes of the National Trust for Historic Preservation are upset about the destruction of a “National Historic Landmark, a National Park, and a globally recognized symbol of our nation’s ideals”, some large corporations appear to be looking on the bright side. Trump has said the new 90,000 sq ft ballroom is going to be “paid for 100% by me and some friends of mine”. Now the world’s CEOs have a wonderful opportunity to prove just how friendly to Trump they are. A list of donors including Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Google have already lined up to contribute to the project. Defense contractors including Lockheed Martin and Palantir – who seem to know a thing or two about reducing beloved buildings to rubble – are also reportedly funding the project. If this sort of thing were happening in a developing country it might smack of corruption. But this is the United States, so it’s obviously all above board.

National history aside, this sudden demolition of the first ladies’ headquarters raises a lot of questions. If I lived in a house that I didn’t own – one that I was scheduled to move out of in January 2029 – I probably wouldn’t start an enormous and extremely controversial construction project. Why is Trump doing this?

The short answer is: because he wants to. As I think we all know by now, the president does whatever the hell he feels like regardless of norms, conventions, or silly little laws. And, increasingly, there’s nobody there to stop him. The only checks that Trump cares about are the ones made out to him and the only balances he is interested in are those of his bank accounts.

Trump has given a few rationales for the project that go beyond ‘because I want to.’ He’s argued that the old East Wing was no longer fit for purpose and a much larger space was needed. There are some people out there who agree with him. Gahl Hodges Burt, for example, who was social secretary for three years under President Ronald Reagan, told the New York Times that tearing down the East Wing to make space for the ballroom was unfortunately necessary and overdue.

Beyond practical issues, there’s also ego. Trump’s big boy ballroom will be a big shiny monument to him long after he’s gone.

Still, you’ve got to wonder whether this mega-project means the president is not actually planning on going anywhere anytime soon. Particularly since Trump doesn’t seem to be the sort of person to start a large project he won’t have a chance to personally enjoy. The US Constitution’s 22^nd amendment makes it very clear that a president cannot have more than two terms. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from repeatedly teasing the idea that he might serve a third term. In March he told NBC News he was “not joking” about the idea and there were methods for doing so.

Trump’s army of sycophants certainly seem to be exploring these methods. Earlier this year Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles proposed amending the Constitution to allow Trump to serve three terms. And this week Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist Steven Bannon told the Economist that the president will “get a third term.” Bannon said that there’s “a plan” to deal with the 22^nd amendment and “at the appropriate time” they’ll lay out the plan.

It may seem unthinkable that Trump could seek to serve a third term. To quote the president again, however: “You can’t change history, but you can learn from it.” And if there is one lesson to be learned from Maga history, it’s that you should never underestimate Trump or overestimate the institutions that are supposed to keep his megalomania in check. The president will do anything he thinks he can get away with.

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The week in pawtriarchy

If you’re planning a surfing holiday in Santa Cruz, keep your eyes out for some cute but belligerent otters. Back in 2023 a little critter known as Otter 841 – believed to have been pregnant at the time – made headlines for stealing surfboards. After a brief hiatus, the surfboard-stealing is back. It’s not clear whether it’s 841 to blame or a disciple but one thing is clear: this mammal is otterly unstoppable.

• Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist