American Battleground: Demolition Man - How Trump’s first year back is changing the nation’s capital
- Posted on January 18, 2026
- By CNN
- 4 Views
American Battleground: Demolition Man - How Trump’s first year back is changing the nation’s capital

On a breezy autumn morning beneath skittering clouds, the demolition crew strikes quicker than almost anyone expected. Working seemingly under the sole command of President Donald J. Trump, who has long fashioned himself the Builder-in-Chief, they take only days to reduce the 123-year-old East Wing of the White House to rubble. No drawn-out debate. No approval by independent preservationists.