There's An Actual Sinkhole On The White House Lawn -- And It's Growing

If only there were a metaphor for the current administration’s affect on our country… literally on the White House lawn right now

When you’re reading about everything from new immigration policies, to federal investigations, to frightening education issues, to new EPA regulations, it’s easy to wish that a big hole would just open up and swallow everything up. Well — we might all get our wish, starting at ground zero: the White House.

A sinkhole has opened up on the White House lawn, and the swamp may be coming for this administration.

The sinkhole was originally reported by Voice of America reporter Steve Herman, who Tweeted that the hole was on the North Lawn, just outside the press briefing room, “growing larger by the day.”

Then, by Tuesday afternoon, the sinkhole had been covered — and Herman continued to, um, draw parallels between the lawn and the government.

Many people have found that the sinkhole is a fitting symbol, especially since President Donald Trump used the “drain the swamp” metaphor during his campaign, in a call to rid Washington of corrupt politicians and insiders who weren’t working for the American people — maybe it’s really happening? Or maybe the swamp is fighting back.

The National Park Service responded later the same afternoon that they have been monitoring the situation and were bringing in experts to solve the problem. They continued: “Sinkholes, like this one, are common occurrences in the Washington area following heavy rain like the DC metro area has experienced in the last week. We do not believe it poses any risk to the White House or is representative of any larger problems.”

Not representative of any larger problems? It sounds like the National Park Service might be throwing a little bit of shade in the special way that they like to.

Scientist and candidate for California’s Congress Jess Phoenix was quick to point out that the White House is a fitting place for sinkholes, because of its geology in addition to the symbolism. “The White House sits at the intersection of a Quaternary colluvium (base of steep slope) deposit & a Pleistocene fluvial (river) & estuarine deposit. It’s built on poorly consolidated sediments, not bedrock. Sinkholes happen,” she wrote about the phenomenon.

But even though real, actual sinkholes are pretty normal in Washington, DC, it’s also worth mentioning that almost a year ago to the day, a sinkhole opened up in Palm Beach, Florida, outside of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort where he spends many of his weekends golfing.

City officials reported that that sinkhole was likely due to a newly installed water main, but there are other explanations, too, like maybe the world is trying to swallow up this entire situation. Or maybe it’s a hell mouth!

The White House, according to the New York Times, was not aware of the sinkhole. Which is totally believable.

In any case, officials are telling the public not to worry about the sinkhole — it doesn’t pose any risk and will be dealt with quickly. We’ll just have to see what happens next — and maybe keep an eye on the ground surrounding Trump Tower.