“Siberia” and the South Lawn play a factor.
Construction workers, bottom right, atop the U.S. Treasury, watch watch as demolition continues on the East Wing of the White House to make room for a new ballroom, in Washington, Oct. 22, 2025. Something was lost but something will be gained with the completion of the new East Wing, writes Talmage Boston. Jacquelyn Martin / APConstruction workers, bottom right, atop the U.S. Treasury, watch watch as demolition continues on the East Wing of the White House to make room for a new ballroom, in Washington, Oct. 22, 2025. Something was lost but something will be gained with the completion of the new East Wing, writes Talmage Boston. Jacquelyn Martin / AP
When I learned of President Donald Trump’s decision to tear down the East Wing of the White House and replace it with a new building large enough to host a 1,000-person event in a Mar-a-Lago-like ballroom, my first thought was Bob Dylan’s song, “The Times They Are a-Changin.”
After researching the history of the East Wing and learning the president’s rationale for superseding it, a different ’60s song now comes to mind: Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” as sung most memorably by Judy Collins, which tells how polar opposite perspectives on a subject can arise once time allows for reflection beyond one’s first impression.
