Ballroom/Bunker Blues

Old Balls & Strikes John Roberts, the forever-young choirboy, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a judicial partisan of the first order, lifted a lower court stay and allowed Trump’s vanity ballroom/bunker project to proceed, for now, whatever that means to John Roberts. What it means to me is that Roberts has once again used the shadow docket for Trump’s benefit. It doesn’t seem to trouble Roberts that Congress and other federal agencies with responsibility for government facilities and historic sites were not presented with a proposal from the Regime. Trump’s old School: break the law now, fight it later. Because our institutions — Congress, federal courts — not all, but a good portion of them — media, CEO’s, university presidents, the entire GOP, have failed to respect the Constitution and demand fidelity to the rule of law, Trump can dig a massive hole in the ground, employ hundreds of workers, night and day shifts, and construct his Monument to Himself. Caesar or Augustus would be proud. Build my temple, and do it quick!

There’s a long profile of John Roberts in the August 17, 2026 issue of the New Yorker, written by Margaret Talbot. “The Delusions of John Roberts.” Perfect title. Talbot writes, “Yet does Roberts truly not care who wins the games? He emerged from a specific political culture, with a set of conservative policy preferences that go back to his college days. As Chief Justice, he has found ways to align his legal reasoning with those policy preferences in many, many cases.” Hell, Roberts gave the president (Trump) immunity from prosecution, which appears nowhere in our Constitution. When it suits him, Roberts makes up new law out of whole cloth.

Billions of dollars are in play, and a good portion is taxpayer money. The people elected to represent us never debated the need for this project or voted to approve it. The Congress acts like a gaggle of blind mice, allowing Trump to treat the White House like one of his properties. No, you cowards, it belongs to all of us. If not Congress or a federal agency, who’s providing oversight of all this money, and making sure it’s spent properly?

You see the problem? The felon has the key to the till.

By the time the courts sort it all out, Trump’s vanity project will be a fait accompli, a done deal, a reality on the ground. It’s the mentality Israel uses to steal more West Bank land from Palestinians and then quickly build new outposts for Jewish settlers. What’s the old adage, possession is nine-tenths of the law? Billions of dollars, some private, some public, are flowing into this absurd project. Based on everything you’ve seen or heard — you’ve been paying attention, right? — since January 2025, do you seriously think Trump or his crime family isn’t get a taste, a skim, a percentage? And do you honestly think the ballroom/bunker is being built to exacting specifications using proper materials?

We must assume that the hideous ballroom/bunker will be erected. But when Trump is gone and sane people are in power, the monstrosity should be demolished in a solemn public ceremony. If that were to happen, however, I guarantee you that every Republican will whine and moan and froth about destruction of government property (they remained silent when Trump bulldozed the East Wing), and waste of taxpayer money. Fox News will do it’s thing; Hannity will lose his shit over it every night.

Here’s something else you can take to your bookmaker or local crypto dealer: this ballroom/bunker is destined to become an albatross around our necks, a money suck due to poor original design and flawed construction, like all of Trump’s projects.

If he builds it, we must demand it be torn down.