Earlier this week, photos went viral of the White House’s East Wing lying in rubble after Trump demolished it to make room for his $300 million ballroom. The jarring images came months after Trump promised his gilded pet project wouldn’t “interfere with the current building,” while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed “nothing will be torn down.” Now, it’s become clear they were lying, and the historic wing has been torn down — all while the Secret Service reportedly kept onlookers away and Treasury employees, whose offices had a direct view of the construction, were warned not to share photos of it. It’s certainly an alarming turn of events to see Trump making such permanent changes to the house he’s supposed to be leaving in less than four years, and Democratic leaders and the public have been horrified to see the building in ruins.
You know who else is upset at the news? Founder of the now-defunct women’s co-working space the Wing, Audrey Gelman. Gelman — who also served as the IRL inspiration for Marnie from Girls — shared a screenshot of an article about the demolition to her Instagram Story on Wednesday, where she mourned the loss of the building. “RIP to everything,” she wrote.
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She also dropped an unexpected tidbit of company lore: Apparently the recently obliterated building served as inspiration for her late business’s name. “Named The Wing after the East Wing,” she wrote in the post. This appears to be the first time Gelman has shared the namesake for the Wing, and given her background in politics, it makes a lot of sense.
It’s no surprise that Gelman, whose enthusiasm for tastefully decorated interiors helped shape the mid-2010s Instagram aesthetic at the Wing before she moved on to a cottagecore shop and hotel, is less than thrilled about Trump’s tacky White House makeover. Maybe once his all-gold ballroom is complete and he’s ready to add furnishings, he can check out her shop for some rustic throw pillows? That would make this all feel better, right?
