What’s Happening
- Krasner repeatedly told the crowd that the White House ballroom would eventually be “blown up.”
- He said he wanted a piece of the demolished ballroom for a paperweight and suggested pieces could be sold to recover money for taxpayers.
- Krasner immediately specified that he was talking about a future demolition conducted during an “official ceremony.”
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner drew national attention this week after telling a crowd that President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom would eventually be blown up and that he wanted to keep a piece of the rubble on his desk.
“And I’m going to have a paperweight sitting on my desk,” Krasner told the crowd. “You know what that paperweight is going to be? It’s going to be a piece of the ballroom after we all blow it up.” – Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney
Speaking Tuesday at an annual slavery commemoration at the President’s House site in Philadelphia, Krasner was attacking Trump and predicting that projects associated with his presidency would eventually be undone. His remarks quickly spread online because of his repeated use of the phrase “blow it up” while discussing part of the White House.
Krasner, whose successful 2017 campaign for district attorney benefited from roughly $1.7 million in independent spending by a political action committee funded by billionaire George Soros, clarified during the same remarks that he was talking about an “official ceremony” to demolish the ballroom sometime in the future — not calling for an attack on the White House.
Krasner Wants White House Ballroom Rubble as a Paperweight
Krasner made the remarks while discussing what he believes will remain from the current political era 10 or 15 years from now.
The Democratic prosecutor predicted that the President’s House memorial in Philadelphia would endure while the ballroom associated with President Donald Trump would not.
“And I’m going to have a paperweight sitting on my desk,” Krasner told the crowd. “You know what that paperweight is going to be? It’s going to be a piece of the ballroom after we all blow it up.”
Krasner then repeated his desire to obtain part of the demolished structure.
“That’s what it’s going to be. I want a piece! I want a piece!” he said.
Recognizing the potentially explosive interpretation of those words, Krasner immediately added an important qualification.
“In an official, official ceremony, just so we’re clear,” Krasner said. “In an official ceremony, we’re going to blow it up and we’re going to get the taxpayers their money back by selling all the pieces as paperweights.”
“And I will have one on my desk,” he added.
The distinction is significant. While Krasner used the words “we all blow it up,” his full remarks show he was describing what he hopes will be a future government-sanctioned demolition of the ballroom rather than threatening to personally bomb or attack the White House.
Still, the choice of words from the elected chief prosecutor of one of America’s largest cities immediately attracted criticism.
Krasner Attacks Trump During Philadelphia Speech
The ballroom comments came during a broader attack by Krasner on Trump and his administration.
Krasner called Trump the “embodiment of hate” and “embodiment of ignorance” while speaking at the President’s House site near Independence Hall.
The gathering marked the 24th annual slavery commemoration at the site, where George Washington lived during much of his presidency and where enslaved people were held.
The historic site has itself become part of a political battle between Philadelphia activists and the Trump administration over how slavery and Washington’s history are presented to visitors.
Krasner used that dispute to contrast what he believes will be the lasting significance of the memorial with the eventual fate of Trump’s ballroom.
“There will not be a ballroom,” Krasner told the audience while describing his vision of the future.
The comments quickly moved beyond the Philadelphia event as video of Krasner’s speech circulated nationally.
George Soros Group Spent Heavily to Help Elect Krasner
Krasner has long been one of the most prominent figures in the national progressive prosecutor movement.
His original campaign for Philadelphia district attorney received major outside financial assistance from a political committee backed by George Soros.
During the 2017 election, Soros provided approximately $1.7 million to the Philadelphia Justice & Public Safety PAC, which independently spent money supporting Krasner through advertising, canvassing and other campaign efforts.
Krasner went on to win the election and has since become a nationally recognized advocate for progressive criminal justice policies.
He has also become a vocal opponent of Trump and the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
That history has made Krasner a frequent target of Republicans and conservative groups, while his supporters have praised his efforts to overhaul the traditional approach to prosecution in Philadelphia.
For a prosecutor already known for provocative political rhetoric, those few words were enough to once again put Krasner in the national spotlight.
Did Larry Krasner threaten to bomb the White House?
Krasner said the ballroom would be blown up, but his complete remarks specified that he was talking about a future “official ceremony” to demolish the structure. He did not call for an immediate attack on the White House but said he will wait until Democrats regain control of the federal government to carry out the explosive demolition.
What exactly did Krasner say about the White House ballroom?
Krasner said he wanted a piece of the ballroom as a paperweight “after we all blow it up,” before clarifying that he envisioned an official demolition and the resulting pieces being sold as souvenirs. He offered no plan on how to recover the cost of the ballroom or how much he would sell rubble from the explosion for.
Was Larry Krasner financially backed by George Soros?
Yes. A political action committee funded by Soros spent roughly $1.7 million independently supporting Krasner during his 2017 campaign for Philadelphia district attorney. The spending was independent of Krasner’s campaign rather than a direct contribution to him.
Sources: Video and transcript of Larry Krasner’s remarks at the 24th annual slavery commemoration at the President’s House site; public campaign-finance records.
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