“The whole #Trump approach to leadership is to blow up existing national elites of any kind, whether that elite is defined by taste, or money, or aesthetics,” said Naftali, saying those elites are often called the “uniparty” by Trump’s advisers. “But they mean it for not simply elected officials, but they mean in terms of national aesthetics or national traditions or norms.”

#megalomania #irreverence #plutocracy #corruption #kleptocracy #USpol

The White House Historical Assn has no statutory authority over the… #RoseGarden …because it is outdoors.…

It is the #NationalParkService, which is controlled by the Dept of the Interior, that maintains the grounds, including the Rose Garden.

…remodeling the Rose Garden to take away the grass…would be a jarring change from tradition.

Naftali said that the approach was consistent with #Trump’s ethos as a public figure.

#trump #megalomania #irreverence #USpol

Timothy Naftali, a historian at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs, noted that the building’s residential spaces are out of view & presidential families often make changes there. But he said that first families have usually had an understanding “that the #WhiteHouse is a #museum that belongs to the #AmericanPeople” & that “you have an obligation not to step too far outside of tradition in the public spaces.”

#trump #megalomania #irreverence #kleptocracy #USpol