The president said he and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have had "a lot of fun" reimagining historic landmarks in the nation's capital
Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty; Mannie Garcia/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- President Donald Trump said he would like to repaint the basin of the WWII Memorial’s central fountain, after launching a similar project with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
- Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, May 27, that he would choose a “lighter color” for the WWII Memorial’s paint job than the Reflecting Pool, which is being painted a shade of “American Flag Blue”
- Since returning to office, the president has undertaken a series of overlapping construction projects across the nation’s capital, a city he has called “disgusting” and “ugly”
President Donald Trump said he’s already eyeing renovations on the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., next as he continues to resurface the neighboring Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The president announced his hope to paint the basin of the WWII Memorial’s central fountain during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, May 27. He touted an ongoing project to repair and repaint the Reflecting Pool a shade of “American Flag Blue.”
“And now we’re looking at the WWII fountain, because that’s also in pretty bad shape,” he said. “On the bottom we’re gonna duplicate it … maybe with a slightly different color, actually, we’ll go with a lighter color.”
Trump said he and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose jurisdiction includes the National Mall, have had “a lot of fun” reimaging historic landmarks around D.C.
Credit: Kevin Carter/Getty
The president has repeatedly insulted the nation’s capital as “dirty,” “disgusting” and outright “ugly.” An outspoken critic of the city’s heavy Brutalist influence, Trump declared his intent to make “federal architecture beautiful again” in an executive order last summer, effectively requiring the use of classical architectural styles in the design of new federal buildings.
In October, the president unveiled plans to build a 250-foot triumphal arch between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial in celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday in July and inspired by Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. A federal arts panel, whose members were appointed by Trump, approved the project in a vote last week, though the arch is already subject to a lawsuit from veterans who called the idea "disrespectful."
Sixteen months into his second term, Trump has already left his mark on Washington. In December, the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees voted unanimously to install Trump’s name on the building’s exterior, alongside that of former President John F. Kennedy, for whom the cultural institution is originally named.
Trump announced in February that the Kennedy Center would close for two years beginning in July for a “Complete Rebuilding.”
"America will be very proud of its new and beautiful Landmark for many generations to come,” he said in a post on Truth Social at the time.
The president has also made significant changes to the White House, toppling its historic East Wing to make room for a massive, multimillion-dollar ballroom, the construction of which has slowed since facing a number of legal hurdles. Last summer, construction crews also paved over parts of the historic Rose Garden while he redecorated the Executive Mansion's interior and exterior.
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Trump has fiercely defended his renovation projects as crucial for strengthening public safety and boosting national pride.
“This place was a disgusting place,” Trump said earlier this month of D.C., after ABC News’ Rachel Scott questioned his focus on construction projects at home as global gas prices continue to soar over the war in Iran.
“That’s not what our country’s about,” he said. “Our country’s about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people. Not a filthy capital.”
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