Know Your Enemy Trump's Big, Beautiful Ballroom (w/ Kate Wagner) [Teaser]
Nov 17, 2025
In this engaging discussion, architectural critic Kate Wagner sheds light on the bizarre intersection of Trump and architecture. Known for her McMansion Hell blog, she critiques the MAGA movement's obsession with neoclassical revivalism, exploring how it reflects broader societal values. They dive into Trump's infamous ballroom and the implications of demolishing the East Wing of the White House. With wit and insight, Wagner addresses public dissatisfaction with modern architecture and the absence of authentic voices in architectural discourse.
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Architecture As Moral Mirror
- Right-wing architectural critiques tie building styles to cultural and spiritual decay.
- Kate Wagner links complaints about modern architecture to a broader narrative of secularization and moral decline.
Financial Forces Flatten Design
- Contemporary architectural culture is weak and aesthetically stagnant due to economic and technological pressures.
- Sam Adler-Bell argues financialization and economical building methods produce uniform, soulless structures unlike past innovators.
Ugly Buildings, Hidden Causes
- People legitimately dislike many new buildings but miss the political economy behind that ugliness.
- Kate Wagner compares architectural complaints to food complaints that ignore subsidies and industry incentives shaping outcomes.