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Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri recently criticized those opposing President Trump’s refurbishment of the East Wing of the White House, accusing them of selective outrage. He compared their reactions to the race riots of 2020, during which numerous statues of historical figures were dismantled.
During an exchange with CNN correspondent Manu Raju, who echoed the left’s disapproval by questioning Hawley about President Trump’s alleged “uprooting” of an “iconic building” to construct a grand ballroom, the senator was quick to respond.
Hawley, representing Missouri, dismissed the criticism as an example of what he termed Trump Derangement Syndrome. He questioned the sincerity of those now expressing concern over historical preservation.
“Suddenly, my liberal friends are worried about our history? Really?” Hawley remarked, pointing out the irony. “These are the same individuals who, over the past few years, have been dismantling every statue they could, including those of Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt.”
Hawley reminded that the events he described are not distant history. Just a few years ago, there was a surge in the removal of statues and monuments, as groups sought to challenge and, in some cases, erase historical narratives they deemed problematic.
This isn’t ancient history, either. This was just four to five years ago that the destruction of our nation’s history peaked. We all remember the pitchfork mobs going out to every public park and tearing down statues because they felt emboldened to do so. To rewrite history.
Senator Josh Hawley dismantles CNN’s narrative about President Trump’s White House renovation during a live interview.
When reporter Manu Raju asked: “What about just uprooting the—you know—this is an iconic building?”@HawleyMO exposed their faux outrage instantly:
“Manu, I… pic.twitter.com/FR9oKdUV2w
— Overton (@overton_news) October 22, 2025
READ MORE: Watch – Legacy Media Is All Smiles When Presidents Renovating the WH Are Democrats
Trump Signs EO to Review Statues ‘Improperly’ Removed in Past 5 Years, Restore Truth to American History
Hawley further appropriately dismissed the leftist media’s anger over a story that should have been a footnote in their coverage of the Trump presidency.
“They didn’t have any concern for history then. Now all of a sudden, they’re like, oh, the facade of the East Wing is iconic,” he scoffed. “Oh, give me a break. I mean, give me a break!”
In a separate interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Hawley again laughed at the manufactured story.
“Now they’re the great defenders of history?” he questioned. “Give me a break. They hate Donald Trump. They hate everything he does.”
Bear in mind that President Trump is renovating the East Wing using his own funds and outside private sponsorships. They don’t even have wasting taxpayer money as a legitimate argument. There is quite literally no legitimate argument to be made here. It’s anger simply because it’s Trump.
As my colleague Becca Lower writes, the left “is all smiles when Presidents renovating the White House are Democrats.”
With that in mind, check out CNN’s coverage (Manu’s outlet) of former President Barack Obama using $376 million in taxpayer dollars to renovate the White House in 2010.
A CNN report from 2010:
$376 million White House renovation during the Obama Administration.
Where was the Democrat outrage then? pic.twitter.com/MvLVDFcTru
— Christian Collins (@CollinsforTX) October 22, 2025
The coverage is decidedly less anger-inducing.
Obama’s demolition project involved overhauling the heating and cooling (HVAC), electrical, and safety systems, as well as retrofitting the Situation Room and excavating space beneath the West Wing. If Trump’s renovations were for the exact same reason, the left would still be having an aneurysm.
Obama also undertook an Oval Office redesign, converted a tennis court into a basketball court in 2009, and established a 1,100-square-foot kitchen garden to promote sustainability initiatives.
As for those statues, President Trump signed an executive order in March directing Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to review and “restore” any “public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties” that may have been improperly removed in the past five-plus years.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
