Half a century ago, atop Bucharest’s Dealul Hill was a neighborhood of Rococo Habsburg elegance and Romanian charm. When a 1977 earthquake damaged its buildings, Romania’s oppressive dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu seized the excuse to evict 40,000 residents and demolish the remainder of the neighborhood so that he could construct a massive vanity project, the House of the Republic, an eyesore of a palace most notable for being the third-largest administrative building on earth. Now, argues author and professor Ed Simon, “history repeats itself, as President Donald Trump ordered the demolition of the East Wing of the White House for the supposed construction of a 90,000-square-foot gilded ballroom.” Read Simon’s full piece at the link in bio. . . . #Trump #EastWing #WhiteHouse #Tacky #Aesthetic