Actor William Daniels is expressing his distaste for 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 portrayed John Adams. In 1970, the musical ― which depicts the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence ― became the first ever to be staged in its entirety at 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 by 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 mustn’t take this lightly.”
William Daniels (left) portrayed John Adams in the musical “1776,” which was performed at the White House in 1970 and released as a film in 1972.
Archive Photos via Getty Images
The 98-year-old’s post was a pointed dig at Trump’s plans for a 90,000-square-foot, $300 million ballroom adjacent to the White House. Last week, construction crews demolished the entirety of the White House’s East Wing to make way for the project, drawing outrage from historic preservationists.
The East Room, where Daniels and his castmates performed “1776” some 55 years ago, is part of the White House’s Executive Residence and therefore 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, now set to reportedly accommodate 999. He suggested last week that the ballroom could be connected to the East Room.
Daniels (right) with his “Boy Meets World” co-star Ben Savage in 1993.
ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images
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“We’re going to build a room that’s going to be able to hold literally the inauguration if we want,” Trump said earlier this month, according to USA Today.
The ballroom’s shifting 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 previous claims that the construction “wouldn’t interfere with the current building.”
The president, however, has rejected accusations that he hasn’t made the full extent of the project clear, telling the BBC and other outlets last week, “I think we’ve been more transparent than anyone’s ever been.”