President Trump’s demolition of the East Wing to make way for a new ballroom this week built into a full-blown controversy for the White House.

Images of the East Wing abruptly being turned into a pile of rubble caused a visceral reaction for Trump critics, who saw it as a symbol of the ways the president has degraded the White House. Historians and preservation groups have expressed their dismay, and reporters have peppered administration officials with questions about changes in the project’s scope and cost.

As is typical in the Trump White House, the president’s team has gone on offense to try and shape the narrative and dismiss criticism as manufactured or hypocritical, appealing to their base in the process.

The administration has dismissed attacks on the project as “manufactured outrage.” Donald Trump Jr. has rebuffed critiques from members of the Clinton family by pointing out scandals during their time in the White House.

The Trump team also updated a page on the official White House website to include a timeline of “major events.” The timeline largely consists of significant construction projects, but Trump aides added........

© The Hill