Everyone’s favorite teacher is taking a stand against President Donald Trump’s latest renovations.
William Daniels, who played Boy Meets World’s Mr. Feeny, shared an Instagram post Monday reflecting on a visit to the East Wing in 1970, when former President Richard Nixon was in office.
“We performed 1776 in the beautiful East Room when Nixon was in the White House,” Daniels, 98, captioned a picture of himself and his Broadway castmates in costume. “He was very gracious even though none of us had voted for him.”
He added, “The current president has ripped a piece of history from our lives and we mustn’t take this lightly.”
Last week, demolition crews began wrecking the East Wing of the White House on Trump’s orders to make room for his brand-new, privately-funded ballroom. The major redesign aims to create a larger venue with increased capacity for dinner parties and celebrations.
“President Trump is working 24/7 to Make America Great Again, including his historic beautification of the White House, at no taxpayer expense,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. “These long-needed upgrades will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors to the People’s House – something we should all celebrate.”
The East Wing first served as the home for the offices of the first ladies, but over time became a venue where performances are held to entertain the president, as Daniels mentioned. Now, the 90,000-square-foot space will likely be called The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom, ABC News reported.
After Trump initially promised that the new ballroom wouldn’t “interfere” with the historical landmark, pictures of the demolition shocked and outraged Americans. The construction then sparked further division as Trump increased the projected cost from $200 million to $300 million.
Mixed reactions to Daniels’s statement poured out in the comments of the actor’s post, with one writing, “Oh man, it warms my heart that Mr. Feeney is on the right side of history.”
Another Instagram user commented, “So wonderful to know Mr. Feeny is still standing up for what's right, even now,” while one added, “Speaking truth in difficult times is an act of both courage and wisdom. Thank you for leading by example, Mr. Daniels/Feeny/Adams.”
However, other commenters insisted the demolition wasn’t cause for concern. One wrote, “What did he rip down? The end of a building erected in the 1940s? Oh our treasured past!!! Spare me the feigned outrage, Feeny.”
Though best known for his roles as Mr. Feeny in all seven seasons of the Nineties sitcom, as well as his Emmy-winning performance as Mark Craig in the TV drama St. Elsewhere, Daniels started his career on the stage. He starred as founding father John Adams in both the original Broadway production of and the 1972 film version of1776, a musical about the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
