Trump is splurging on White House and giving $20 billion away? This isn’t efficiency | Opinion
Elon Musk and DOGE were going to cut federal government spending.
Since Musk left the scene, we have seen a birthday parade for President Donald Trump, a Pentagon meeting that flew in military leaders from around the world, $20 billion to support Argentina’s government and a rapidly-climbing estimate, at $300 million, for a new ballroom at the White House, which he says will be paid for by private donors.
There may be other expenditures we haven’t heard about yet.
Bob Williams, Fuquay-Varina
Silencing voters
North Carolina redrew its congressional maps mid-cycle, following Trump’s urging of Republicans states to help secure additional GOP congressional seats. This stampede into redistricting is about power, not fairness.
Redistricting is meant to reflect population changes captured in the census. Rushing that process, and doing it to manipulate districts for a specific political outcome, undermines fair representation. It is a partisan attack that dilutes voters’ power.
The League of Women Voters of NC believes that voters, not politicians, should decide who represents us. Redrawing maps for political gain is a dangerous practice that silences voters and weakens democracy. Citizens must speak up. Redistricting should serve the people, not politicians.
Jennifer Rubin, president of LWVNC, Durham
No Kings
“Imagine hating America so much you skip College Football” to attend a No Kings rally, Rep. Richard Hudson said. Instead, imagine the great love of country required to forgo football and exercise our First Amendment right. Having grievances, assembling and petitioning do not translate into hatred for the country, nor does it preclude patriotism. At the Raleigh rally, I saw hundreds of such patriots: people of all ages, genders and races who loved the USA but strongly disagreed with the government’s actions.
Robert Matson, Raleigh
Trump video
The video of Trump dousing protesters with excrement serves as a perfect metaphor for what he thinks of citizens and what he is doing to our Constitution, our sacred buildings and our laws.
For whom is he the president? Not Democrats, not legal protesters, not American cities, like Chicago, which he labeled a “hellhole.” Not anyone he, and his enablers, deem out of line with his dystopian view of his office and powers.
May 2028 see a return of the real Rose Garden, the real Oval Office, qualified cabinet appointees and a citizenry dedicated to reclaiming the government and country that was almost lost.
Margaret Magnani, Cary
Quit whining
Whoever controls the NC General Assembly — at least over my 50 political years — has always redistricted to their advantage, be they Democrat or Republican. It is not a power grab. It is business as usual.
Democrats need to quit lying and pretending to be shocked at redistricting. They do it too. Always have. Every man — Democrat, Republican or unaffiliated — has a vote. The issue is what he does with his vote, not what district he is in. Party registration and district lines mean little anymore when counting up vote totals.
Party affiliation means less than it used to. The unaffiliated voter is not some little vote anymore. He now holds sway over election outcomes. District lines do not dictate voters’ mindsets and beliefs within those districts. The win is still at the ballot box.
Voters decide who wins. Candidates need to persuade the voters in their districts. Let’s quit pretending redistricting is some new divisive monster practiced only by one party. Quit whining.
Barbara Pond, Raeford
Glenwood South
Glenwood South never should have become a bar zone. It’s too close to residential areas. I think it functioned best when it had a few restaurants, an ice cream place and businesses that closed in the evening. That was maybe 15 years ago? It was family friendly. It was not prudent nor thoughtful for Raleigh to allow bars to proliferate along that street.
Annetta Jones Hoggard, Raleigh
Fair foodies
Kudos to Kimberly Tutuska, Drew Hill, Chyna Blackmon and Ethan Hyman, News & Observer reporters and photographer, for a fantastic foodie tour of the NC State Fair. Creating a curated and well-organized overview of the fair and its food was a wonderful, creative idea. It showcased what the fair has to offer and highlighted NC’s contributions to agriculture and amazing food, even if it just about all was fried! I look forward to next year.
Joyce Margulies, Durham
This story was originally published October 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Trump is splurging on White House and giving $20 billion away? This isn’t efficiency | Opinion."