Ballroom update deals nightmare blow to Trump - Another Day - Brian Tyler Cohen

[TexasTowelie]

BTC: Republicans hand Trump a billion dollars for his new ballroom. Guess that whole fiscal conservatism thing was more of just a fad. This is just another day.

If you're one of those people who's worried that our Republican le Congress isn't doing much to help with our nation's affordability crisis, then you might want to listen to this.

[cut to video from PBS News]
Host: Senate Republicans are requesting a billion dollars to fund security improvements for President Trump's White House ballroom.

[cut to studio]
BTC: See, populism. That's right. The GOP has decided to allocate a billion dollars for Donald Trump's ballroom because what's a party at the People's House without a golden chandelier wrapped in cash? Now, to be fair, the language in this very decent proposal says it also bars any of the funding being spent on non-security elements. So, rest easy, America, because that right there is airtight legalese and if there's one person in the world who truly respects the verbiage of laws, it's Donald J. Trump. The last person on earth who would try and undermine the law by leaning on petty semantics.

[inset video]
Trump: Uh military operation. I don't call it a war.

BTC: Okay, maybe the second to last person on Earth. But truthfully, I don't even know how Republicans arrived at this billion dollar price tag, considering just one month ago, the world's most trusted builder gave us a very different estimate.

[cut to video]
Trump: You have right here $300 to $400 million depending on finishes. If I use very expensive marble, if I use very expensive wall coatings, if I I could bring it up to $400. Otherwise, we're right now ahead of schedule. We're under budget, but depending on finishes from $300 to$400 million.

[cut to studio]
BTC: Hear that? If Donald Trump decided to divert from his usual decor style of frat house chic and instead went with the very expensive finishes, the ballroom price tag would be $400 million or less than half what the GOP is proposing here. I guess showering the man with praise at every single one of their press conferences wasn't enough for Republicans so they had to hand him a gift card to really get their adoration across.

On second thought, that should really say grift card because that's exactly what we're witnessing. Remember when Donald Trump announced his ballroom over the summer? We were told that Americans wouldn't have to cough up a dime.

[cut to video]
Correspondent: Trump says the project is being funded entirely by private donors. The White House reportedly securing millions from Lockheed Martin and Google. Microsoft, Apple, and Meta also reportedly listed as potential donors.

[cut to studio]
BTC: What happened? Did these multibillion and trillion dollar companies suddenly forget their wallets? Hey, uh, you guys cool picking up the check for this ballroom? We'll totally spring for the next one.

For months, fiscally conservative Republicans applauded this extravagant expenditure expressly because it was being paid for by their favorite people and not us.

[cut to video from Fox News]
Rand Paul: It has no appropriations, no taxpayer expenditure.

[cut to video from Real America’s Voice]
Randy Fine: President Trump has gotten private funding to give a gift to this country, a new ballroom, not a single dollar of taxpayer money. him. So, I think we should get it done.

[cut to video from NewsNation]
James Comer: The ballroom is going to be paid for with private money. Uh, to me, that's a win.

[cut to studio]
BTC: Well, if that was a win, then one would have to assume that the use of taxpayer money is a “not win.”

The point is, here we are again. Donald Trump promises the American people that we're getting something for free only to find ourselves completely on the hook for said thing. First, there was the wall.

[cut to video]
Trump: We're going to build the wall. We have no choice. We have no choice.

[cut to video from MSNBC]
Trump: And Mexico's going to pay for the wall.

[cut to video from AP]
Trump: And Mexico will pay for the wall.

[cut to video]
Trump: Who's going to pay for the wall? 100%.

[cut to studio]
BTC: Everyone knew about this wall. Next to E and Berg, this was America's most famous wall. And even better, Mexico was picking up the tab.

[cut to video from CNN]
Reporter: When you say Mexico's going to pay for the wall, you never expected that they would write you a check. But during your campaign, I don't expect..

Trump: When I say Mexico, excuse me, when I say Mexico is going to pay for the wall, do you think they're going to write a check for $20 billion or $10 billion or $5 billion or 2 cents? No. They're paying for the wall in a great trade deal.

[cut to studio]
BTC: Yeah, you fucking idiots. When he said Mexico is going to pay for the wall, he didn't mean Mexico. He meant Mexico. [air quotes] You know, like how he says he doesn't [air quotes] want to fuck his daughter.

And then there was that generous piece of aviation equipment from Qatar.

[cut to video]
Trump: They're giving us a free jet. I could say, "No, no, no. Don't give us I want to pay you a billion or $400 million or whatever it is." Or I could say, "Thank you very much."

[cut to video]
Trump: I could be a stupid person and say, "Oh, no. We don't want a free plane."

[cut to studio]
BTC: Yes, that would make Trump a stupid person if he said that. I mean, he would look so foolish if he said that he didn't want a free plane as opposed to how he looks now.

[cut to video from CBS News]
Correspondent: Well, Errol, some estimates put uh this retrofitting, as they call it, to up to a billion dollars. So, the the aircraft may be $400 million. It's going to cost a billion dollars estimated because they have to strip it right down to the cables.

[cut to studio]
BTC: [laughter] Classic mistake. He was just off by the price of one ballroom. And I know what you're thinking. This new influx of taxpayer dollars into the ballroom really makes it look like Donald Trump doesn't care about Americans who are struggling. But the truth is he doesn't need those dollars to get that point across.

[cut to video]
Trump: The ballroom will be just like that. I saved the ramp because it's in honor of FDR. FDR right up there. He had that built as a ramp. I They said, "Oh, sir, we'll straighten it." I said, "No, you have to leave the ramp." It was built, that ramp was built for FDR with a wheelchair because, you know, it's a not it's pretty pretty good slope. But a lot of people say, "Why is it a ramp?" They say, "Because of FDR." They say, "Ah, I get it." But we save that.

[cut to studio]
BTC: Yes, the ramp is there for FDR. But as luck would have it, it'll also come in handy for those other millions of non-FDRs who use wheelchairs. Like Trump knows that there are people out there who do use wheelchairs, right? Or does he watch the Para Olympics and think that half of the athletes are just doing their own rendition of their favorite president from the late30s?

The reality is Republicans currently hold majorities in Congress so through this reconciliation package, they will likely succeed in handing Donald Trump his billion. Or maybe this was merely their opening salvo and when the number gets knocked down to a cool half billion, they'll claim it as a win for hardworking Americans.

But if even 1 cent, 1 cent of our tax dollars go toward this palatial parlor room. It'll be just another example of how little the GOP gives a shit about Americans who are struggling. This is a party with complete control and what are they doing with their immense power? Are they allocating a billion dollars to help the hungry, the sick, the poor? Nope.

Instead, they've chosen to earmark those dollars for a convening place that is of, for, and by the rich, and that will not benefit a single person who actually needs the help. And this lavish taxpayer funded ballroom would be bad enough on its own, but it is coming from the man who ran around the country beating his chest as a populist.

[cut to video campaign ad]
Trump: It's time for the working man and woman to finally catch a break. We are going to bring back the American dream, bigger, better, and stronger than ever.

[cut to video]
Trump: Under Trump, every policy is about making life better and more affordable for hardworking American families.

[cut to video]
Trump: To all of the forgotten men and women who have been neglected, abandoned, and left behind, you will be forgotten no longer.

[cut to studio]
BTC: To be fair, he said he wouldn't forget you, which is different from saying he gave two shits about you. The sad fact is Donald Trump doesn't need taxpayer dollars to pay for his ballroom, nor does he need private donors. He could fund this entire monstrosity himself by simply shaving off a quarter of what he's personally taken in since the start of his second term. Or better yet, he could use his legendary dealmaking skills to get those rich donors to cough up all the cash he needs for his ballroom and then use his own billion to retrofit that totally free plane he scored. This way, the people who are already struggling to afford their gas, groceries, and healthcare wouldn't have to foot the bill. But we all know that's never going to happen because Donald Trump at his core is a con man. A power-hungry grifter who lied his way to the top. All in an effort to take money out of your pocket and put it in to his.

[inset video]
Trump: Ah, I get it.

BTC: Yeah, I thought you would.