"This building is full of asbestos": Veteran contractor stunned at Trump's demo of the White House

[Botany]

“This building is full of asbestos”: Veteran contractor stunned at Trump’s “next level” demo of the White House East Wing for his ballroom

Sarah Boardman (@sarah.boardman.design), who stated that she has been a licensed contractor and designer for nearly three decades, posted a video questioning whether the demolition adhered to basic safety and permitting rules.

In the clip, Boardman explained that she had researched President Donald Trump‘s project and found “no permits” for the work. She added that if she conducted a demolition like the one seen at the East Wing, “I would be fined out of existence.”

Snip

Because of that history, she said, “This building is full of asbestos. This building is full of mold. It has been known to leak.”

In an email to the Daily Dot, Boardman wrote, “This part of the East Wing was built in 1942,” adding that during this time, “asbestos was widely used as insulation on pipes, in walls, and ceilings, and multiple different kinds.”

https://www.dailydot.com/viral-politics/contractor-white-house-east-wing-demo-tiktok/

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Ironic if the orange menace comes down with asbestosis

or some respiratory ailment due to toxic mold.

[MLWR]

17. Or Mesothelioma.

[Dustlawyer]

38. My screen name comes from working the "Dust Docket."

All asbestos related diseases are time/ dose related except for mesothelioma. 20-40 years latency periods, again except for mesothelioma.
I used to say that I would not wish that disease on my worst enemy, for Trump I would make an exception.

[sheshe2]

2. Fools rush in.

Now anyone working in the WH may have been exposed. And no permits?! The contractor needs to be held accountable for this as well.

[Shoeless Louis]

19. I guess it's possible.

You’re funny. “Anybody “working” in the White House. I guess it’s possible.

[erronis]

23. Well, how about "playing" being in the White House.

I like what you did here.

[Historic NY]

3. From what I seen there doesn't seem to have been any mitigation of it either

no sealed off areas, no one in suits, nothing to keep it from spreading into the WH itself. They don't even seem to be watering down the debris.

[Blues Heron]

4. There was a guy with a hose watering as they ripped it down, wasn't doing much though.

[popsdenver]

27. AND,

just piling the debris on a nearby golf course, out in the open, and transported to the dumping area with loads uncovered....

[tanyev]

51. How much is just blowing around in the air of D.C. right now?

😞

[popsdenver]

59. Think of all the first responders and Firefighters on 9/11

inhaling the same concrete dust and asbestos, and now a ton of them are experiencing a tidal wave of cancers......

New Adage of Republican's: If you get sick.......Die.................

With health insurance premiums taking an outrageous increase in the coming year, Millions more will be killed off by them unable to afford the insurance.......With RURAL areas, )Trumphumping Voters), getting hit the hardest......Their tombstones will be engraved with:
I VOTED FOR TRUMP..............

[BannonsLiver]

5. Hope she's right.

Last edited Mon Oct 27, 2025, 12:59 PM - Edit history (1)

[Attilatheblond]

28. Who is 'he'? Are you referring to the contractor who is explaining the problems and danger of the rash destruction...

... of an old building that has asbestos? If so, HER name is "Sarah Boardman (@sarah.boardman.design), and she stated that she has been a licensed contractor and designer for nearly three decades, posted a video questioning whether the demolition adhered to basic safety and permitting rules."

Sorry to be so persnickety about gender here, not attacking you, but we are in an era where women and people of color are being erased from history and details matter. Thousands of women and people of color have earned and hold credentials in important fields. We need to guard against their expertise being dismissed. Respect matters now more than ever.

[BannonsLiver]

29. Yes.

Original post has been corrected.

[Attilatheblond]

33. Thank you so VERY much for attending to details.

[peggysue2]

6. This was a question I had last week after reading . . .

An Op-Ed over on Kos. The writer of the Op-Ed spoke directly about possible if not probable asbestos exposure and contamination. It was something I had never considered but made a lot of sense since asbestos was a go-to additive in construction back in the day.

So, it's quite possible that Trump has created a toxic dump site posing as a ballroom or elaborate Dooms-Day bunker.

Idiotic!

[Jersey Devil]

7. It's not just the building site that could have been contaminated

You're not supposed to take asbestos waste to just any old landfill. There are specially designated landfills licensed to handle asbestos waste that you have to use, unless, of course, you are above the law.

[Botany]

9. Trump is using the rubble as land fill (probably for free) for one his golf courses.

N/t

[erronis]

24. Land fill for a golf course. Just like old wives, stolen classified documents.

[Ruby the Liberal]

46. There is some poetic justice in that

[demmiblue]

56. It is not going to his golf course. This is where it went/is going:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Potomac_Park_Golf_Course

[barbtries]

60. So it's going

to contaminate the public. I guess someone told him about the asbestos.
Sigh.

[ananda]

53. Trumpers don't care what they contaminate...

not even themselves.

[surfered]

8. Not surprised. The man's an idiot with childish impulses. "Wanna, wanna, gimme.gimme."

[Hugin]

12. "Mine. Mine. Mine."

I agree. Pathetic.

[Shoeless Louis]

20. And "Look at me mommy!"

[Hugin]

10. No matter how many times I read the headline I keep seeing...

“This building is full of A$$HOLES.



Maybe it’s time for me to take a break.

[GoneOffShore]

21. It is full of a$$holes, except for the long term staff.

And now?
Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, and respiratory disease for everyone!

Let's hope he pulled all of his cabinet out to see the demolition.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

11. Watch for Trump offering "Trump Asbestos, the best asbestos in the World" soon!

[popsdenver]

31. I wouldn't put Trump past

making small boxes of it, and selling it as a memento to all his MAGAots as authentic leftovers from his show of power..........or given as a bonus gift to everyone of them buying his Trump Bible, or Trump Wrist watch......

Sorry, I shouldn't be giving him any ideas......

[Traildogbob]

41. Putin started

Shipping asbestos to the US within a month of his first term. Days after he lifted restrictions on it, pallets were arriving with trump stamped on them. Russia is the number one exporter of it.
Surprise?

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

45. Holy crap!

[Jbraybarten]

13. From my understanding, no standard pre-work was done to the structure. That's not normal. He simply wanted it down as

fast as possible.

[PatSeg]

15. Probably to coincide with No Kings Day protests

Like he's flipping off the entire country.

Welcome to DU!!!

[Botany]

25. Things like asbestos abatement, salvaging things like windows, doors, plumbing, and flooring, getting the

right permit, and architectural review. But with Congress in a shut down they don’t get to do their
required oversight on the White House grounds.

[twodogsbarking]

14. Call now, operators are standing by...........

[milestogo]

16. He should take his cabinet on a tour and breathe deeply.

[catchnrelease]

30. My thoughts exactly

I kept thinking he loves to be in charge and give orders, so he needs to get over to the demo site and supervise carefully. Get right in there and take some deep breaths.

[colorado_ufo]

18. He finally did something to distract people from talking about

the Epstein files.

[mopinko]

22. and he's trucking the debris to a golf course to build 'mounds'.

i wonder if it competes w 1 of his courses.

[Attilatheblond]

32. One might wonder about what this does to the water table there too.

No wonder why half-assed 'builder' Trump wants environmental laws tosses out. He never intends to be a responsible person. Only profits matter to him.

[Warpy]

26. Given its age, you be it is

I doubt any of the regulations regarding asbestos removal have been followed. It's not like Republicans care about anyone who does the work of keeping this country going. There will be an uptick in cancers among workers and people who live downwind in about 30 years but oh well, that old building needed to be knocked down quickly to make room for the Epstein Ballroom.

Personally, I think the building should have had a multi decade rebuilding to replace it with the original Georgian design of white trim against red brick and without the lead pipes and asbestos, not to mention all the old knob and tube wiring and gas lines hidden in many of the walls.

Needless to say, I'm short on sentiment for old buildings because they are old. I've often thought that having historic architecture in Europe flattened by war did them a favor, making them rebuild it all without all that Victorian expedience that turned into ticking time bombs in so many old cities here.

[sop]

34. The EPA and OSHA are the primary federal agencies responsible for enforcing asbestos-related laws.

The EPA regulates environmental contamination from asbestos, OSHA protects workers from asbestos exposure on the job. Neither the environment or workers were protected during the East Wing's demolition. Lee Zeldin is the EPA Administrator and Amanda Wood Laihow is the current acting head of OSHA. Both were appointed by Trump, and neither will do anything to enforce federal laws.

[CaptainTruth]

35. I thought of that as soon as I saw the pics of demolition.

In the course of my remodeling jobs on older homes I've had to do asbestos removal & mitigation several times.
First, the law says the EPA must be notified at least 10 business days in advance of the start of work. Who really thinks Trump did that?

Then, there are lists of EPA & OSHA requirements covering things like protective equipment for workers & hazardous material handling & disposal. In the pics that have been shared on social media I haven't seen an indication that any of those requirements were complied with.

In addition to asbestos possibly being present on HVAC & plumbing pipes & ducts or in other insulation, asbestos was used in some wallpaper from 1930 until the 1980s.

Also, many house paints made before 1978 contained lead. Before even sanding a wall or removing drywall/plaster any old paint should be tested for lead so the proper procedures can be used to handle & dispose of it safely. Again, I saw no sign that any of that was done.

[patphil]

36. Asbestos was the first thing I thought of when I saw the way the East Wing was being demolished.

That plus no apparent regard for the historical value of all the materials in the building.
Why would he care, he isn't paying for any of this, and he won't live long enough to get cancer from the asbestos.
And, as "king", he can do as he pleases with no retribution.
So, fuck everyone else.
He just wants what he wants when he wants it. Out with the old, in with the new.
I think he wants to punish the entire country for not electing him in 2020, and establish a huge monument to his "greatness".
Then he'll build his version of the "Arc de Triomphe" that people will have to drive around and through as the crowning touch on his royal presidency.
Note: The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon to celebrate the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

[kimbutgar]

37. Let asbestos fly into the White House and do its dirty work!

[liberalla]

39. I queried this very thing last week!

20. You have to wonder if asbestos was used in the original construction. It was an old/older building and it

may have been used. If it had'nt already undergone asbestos abatement previously, then I would guess the way it was torn down released a lot of asbestos fiber into the environment. I also wonder if the demolition workers were provided with proper safety equipment. (Doubtful)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20749799

[Traildogbob]

40. Anyone

Remember his first weeks in first term, he ended the ban in asbestos and immediately, being the number one exporter in the world, Putin started shipments to the US, with trumps name stamped on the pallets?
He dies not give a shit is we die from it, or anything.
He will wear a mask stuffed will $1,000 bills.

[DET]

42. Location, Location, Location

Treasury Department on one side and the Old Executive Office building on the other. I would not work in those buildings right now.

[GaYellowDawg]

43. Oh, excellent.

I hope every Trump administration person working at the White House gets a shit ton of asbestos fibers embedded in their lung tissue.

[womanofthehills]

44. In our tiny NM rural town of less than 900

There is a vacant old building that used to be a bar. The owner was an old cowboy who used to shoot holes in his ceiling all the time. He died about 10 yrs ago - from mesothelioma. I always suspected it might be connected.

Back in the late 60’s/ early 70’s at UNM in the ceramics dept, we sealed all the cracks in the outdoor high fire kiln with asbestos. We knew it was dangerous so we wore gloves and held our breath. 🙃🙃🙃

Our professor wasn’t too aware, as he also had jars of lead and uranium on the shelves for glazes. My good friend got pneumonia after spraying her pottery with a lead glaze. Those were the days before UNM had any ventilation in any of their art classes (before they got sued)

[haele]

47. MAGA at work say it's no big deal.

And the one whose spouse owns rental properties said that all those permits and environmental tests are pretty much a useless waste of time and money, because there's never a problem when they're done ..
Except for all those times (pretty much yearly) when those big property managers are in the news get sued for the shoddy workmanship, short cuts, and lingering crap that's in their buildings linked to chronic health issues their tenets developed after they spent time on site.
Then "it's the corrupt city leaders at fault for not doing the proper inspections..."
The fault finding hypocrisy and logical pretzel twisting is amazing.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

49. Are your coworkers willing to

go there and help with the cleanup of the rubble? Without wearing masks, because we know how much MAGA hates masks.

[haele]

50. Of course not...

They hire " a guy they know" to do it cheap if their tenet complains,, and that guy sends out a crew to do the work.
However he hires his crew, they don't care.
They only care about the cost.
They own (outright) about six single family tract homes built between 1950-somethong and 1970-something. And there's always something going on that needs fixing or renovation.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

48. Putin's new wing will be full of asbestos.

[viva la]

52. When has he ever cared about the safety of his workers?

[bluestarone]

54. Hey, SUPREME COURT, Do you fucking see what YOU did, giving the WORST fucking person on earth immunity?

Jesus fucking christ almighty!! You six are the most stupid EVIL SCUMBAGS EVER!! 100's of people will probably get full blown cancer because of your stupid religious stupidity!!

[Bluestocking]

57. Breath deeply you 6 six assholes on the SC

It is less than two miles between White House and Supreme Court

[Blue Owl]

55. Breathe deeply, Chairman tRump

Big, beautiful inhaling breaths containing tremendous asbestos.....

[Rob H.]

58. We had a house fire back in March

and there was a delay tearing out the interior walls because testing found asbestos in the drywall tape; they had to bring in a mitigation team before they could proceed, and our house was built in 1965. I shudder to think how much asbestos was in the East Wing.