98-year-old actor makes moving comparison between Trump and Richard Nixon
Actor William Daniels is expressing his displeasure over President Donald Trump’s controversial updates to the White House with a poignant throwback.
On Monday, Daniels shared a photo of himself and two co-stars in full costume from Broadway’s “1776,” in which he played John Adams. In 1970, the musical, which depicts the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, became the first to be performed entirely in the White House, then occupied by President Richard Nixon.
“We performed ‘1776’ in the beautiful East Room when Nixon was in the White House. He was very gracious even though none of us had voted for him,” Daniels, best known to some for his portrayal of George Feeny on “Boy Meets World,” wrote in the caption. “The current president has ripped a piece of history from our lives and we should not take it lightly.”
Archive photos via Getty Images
The 98-year-old’s post was a direct criticism of Trump’s plans to build a $300 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom next to the White House. Last week, construction crews demolished the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for the project, sparking outrage from historic preservationists.
The East Room, where Daniels and her castmates performed “1776” about 55 years ago, is part of the White House Executive Residence and therefore is not believed to have been demolished. However, Trump has cited the relatively small size of the East Room, which has a capacity of about 200 people, in outlining his vision for the ballroom, which will now reportedly seat 999 people. Last week he suggested the ballroom could be connected to the East Room.
ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images
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“We’re going to build a room that can literally host the inauguration if we want,” Trump said earlier this month, according to USA Today.
The ballroom’s changing details and before-and-after photos showing the scale of the east wing demolition have also been condemned by many prominent Democrats, who point to Trump’s earlier claims that construction “would not interfere with the current building.”
The president, however, has rejected accusations that he has not made clear the full scope of the project, telling the BBC and other media last week: “I think we have been more transparent than anyone else.”