Critics slam Trump for transforming the White House grounds into a campaign rally

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Photos of the South Lawn of the White House covered in flags and enormous "Trump/Pence" campaign signs ahead of the Republican National Convention's final night drew outrage and horror from critics, who see the president's decision to hold a convention speech on the grounds as an appalling ethical violation.

"Trump giving his convention speech on the South Lawn is the clearest conceivable violation of the Hatch Act," tweeted Richard Stengel, a former Obama administration official, citing the law that prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain political activities while on duty. Though President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence aren't subject to the law's civil provisions, White House staffers at the event are; there's a reason why "no modern president has accepted his party's nomination for re-election from the White House," The New York Times reports.

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"What a disgusting desecration of the people's house," tweeted former Republican congressman Joe Walsh. Added Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), "The White House is not the property of Donald Trump or the Republican Party, it belongs to the American people. These actions cheapen the office and degrade the nation."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.