The president’s vanity projects trump everything else

We don’t say it often enough: thank you.

We appreciate you being a part of our collaborative Steady community. We recognize that reading Steady and other political news these days can be a struggle. Trying to understand a political leader whose behavior is anathema to the American ideal of a president is a challenge none of us want. As is trying to understand why he denigrates those who trusted him.

With gas prices inching toward $5 a gallon and inflation higher than it has been in years, much of it because of the president’s war with Iran, Donald Trump simply doesn’t care.

You might have heard him say as much on Tuesday. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody,” he told reporters. “Not even a little bit,” he couldn’t help adding.

In case you are under the delusion that he was kidding, as the adage goes, ‘actions speak louder than words,’ and Trump’s actions are deafening. Rather than finding solutions to the affordability crisis, he is finding stunning new ways to aggrandize himself.

If Trump had a personal aphorism it might well be, ‘It’s easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.’ This notion is evident in so many things Trump has done to put his stamp on the nation’s capital, all without asking and often under the cover of darkness.

He renamed and overhauled the Kennedy Center, embellished the White House with gold-plated everything, razed and paved over Jackie Kennedy’s rose garden, took control of a public golf course, and is painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue, making it, quite literally, less reflective.

That’s all child’s play compared to what he is trying to build, to the chagrin of almost everyone.

The Arc de Trump

Trump must be aware that his latest, multimillion-dollar vanity project is unwanted — only 21% of the public supports the 250-foot arch beside the Potomac River. Because of the arch’s unpopularity, the White House is trying to skirt construction rules, a well-trodden strategy for them, to avoid scrutiny of its unwelcome projects.

With no fanfare or notice (and while the president’s trip to China dominated the media), engineers and surveyors suddenly appeared at the proposed site this week. Chain-link fencing was installed around the traffic circle where the monument may soon block the sun. Were permits secured? Public hearings? Environmental impact assessments? No, just Trump saying that he wants it.

Instead of following the legal process for hiring contractors, Team Trump is trying to piggyback on an existing and unrelated contract for work at the White House, according to the Washington Post.

The administration claims the workaround is a cost-saving measure. Actually, it is to keep the project from having to engage in a lengthy and public bidding process.

Speaking of costs, the estimate for the arch is $100 million. However, the White House included a $10 billion “Presidential Capital Stewardship Program” in the proposed fiscal 2027 budget. Several senators have voiced concern that this would be nothing but a slush fund to pay for things like the arch.

During a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum argued that 68 foreign capitals boast arches, so why shouldn’t Washington? Trump was not quite as thoughtful. When asked who the arch was being built for he simply said, “Me.”

The Ballroom

Trump’s ballroom enjoys about as much public support as his arch. Multiple entities have filed suit to stop construction. In March, a judge ordered a halt to the project, but that order was stayed by an appeals court. Oral arguments in the case are set for June 5.

While the lawyers argue, the building continues to outpace funding fights and legal wranglings over the 90,000-square foot monstrosity, which will dwarf the White House itself. Construction of the ground floor was visible for the first time this week.

After the stealthy demolition of the East Wing, part of a national landmark, construction had been kept on the down-low, concentrating on the massive, underground military complex that was added to the plans.

Trump promised that he and his billionaire buddies would fund the project. The original price tag was $250 million, ballooning to $400 million in just a few months. Now, the White House is asking Congress for $1 billion to pay for the “The East Wing Modernization Project,” arguing that it is really a national security imperative.

Appetite for such an expenditure is waning on Capitol Hill. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, included language in the current reconciliation bill that funds could not be used for “non-security elements” of the project. His spokesperson further clarified. “This bill does not fund ballroom construction,” she said.

Compulsory Appreciation
Last week, new banners started appearing around Washington that say, “Thank you, President Trump,” complete with a photo of Trump donning a hard hat, according to the Washington Post. Trump’s Department of the Interior is putting up the banners at D.C. parks being renovated ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebrations, which is estimated to cost $100 million.

The banners are not going over well in a city that voted for the last Democratic presidential ticket by more than 90%. “I assume this is what North Korea looks like,” quipped a piece on The Globalist website. Many of the banners have been defaced by graffiti.

Trump is well known not only for seeking credit but for insisting on gratitude. Apparently, any project, no matter the size, is an opportunity to be fawned over. Can you imagine if President Franklin Roosevelt demanded thanks for every New Deal project or program?

Trump has been transparent about his priorities and they don’t include the American people. He seems incapable of doing anything about the fact that more Americans are hungry, fewer have health care, wages have stagnated, and groceries cost more since he took office.

When it comes to things he does care about, like building edifices in his honor, he can get things done quickly and quietly.