Is Donald Trump an architect? Or an interior designer? He is neither, of course. But he seems to think he has some authority in matters of design; last week he criticized the materials used in the venerable United Nations hall of the General Assembly. President Obama addressed the General Assembly, speaking in front of a familiar backdrop of green marble tiles. Trump opined that the tiles looked cheap and, if elected, he would replace them with big beautiful slabs of marble that would be great. This is an unsurprising thought coming from a rich man. Large slabs of stone are more expensive than covering the same area in smaller tiles. Trump, being rich, is probably used to the more expensive version of materials. I doubt that the U.N. made the choice based on budget (the room is quite nicely appointed throughout). It is surprising that Mr. Trump is reticent about details of international policy, but does not hesitate in a call to action to redecorate the U.N. First of all, he is not (and has never been) in elected office; second, even if he were to be elected President of the United States, the U.N. would not be under his direction. Finally, aren't there more important issues to be discussed than the size of the tiles in the General Assembly? Of course, Trump has been obsessed with size throughout his campaign. And he does purport to be an expert on walls.
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| President Obama at the U.N. |
As if there aren't enough things to worry about when contemplating a Trump victory, we now have to consider his decorating talent. Based on what we've seen of his taste so far, I worry about what he would do to the White House if elected. The White House has always been a
house, not a
palace. We have deliberately and consciously treated our presidents as men of the people, not royalty sitting on a throne. But Trump's style can only be described as
early dictator. He likes guilded surfaces and baroque embellishments. It is the type of domestic pomp also favored by Sadaam Husein, Vladimir Putin, and other ne'er-do-wells.
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| Trump's New York apartment at Trump Tower. |
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| Trump in his gold chair (with an uncomfrtable looking Mike Pence). |
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| Vladimir Putin upon his gold throne. |
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| Ditto for Sadaam Husein. |
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| Melania Trump interviewed by Mika Brezinski. |
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| Trump's Miralago estate. |
Donald Trump is neither an architect nor an interior designer. However, his wealth and involvement in real estate development have often led him to voice opinions on matters of design. Last week, Trump criticized the materials used in the United Nations General Assembly hall, where President Obama addressed the assembly in front of a backdrop of green marble tiles. Trump opined that the tiles looked cheap and suggested that if he were elected, he would replace them with large, beautiful slabs of marble.
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