President Donald Trump has said the White House was a “dump” before he began renovating it, having been neglected by his predecessors, and boasted that it is “now in better shape than when built in 1792”. The president spent the weekend in Ireland watching the Irish Open at his golf club in Doonbeg, County Clare, but has already redirected his attention towards his “beautification” agenda in Washington, D.C., rather than to his party’s midterms prospects, ending the Iran war or solving the stubborn cost of living crisis impacting the American public. The Department of Interior, and various contractors, are doing a fantastic job.” He attached “BEFORE and AFTER” pictures to make his point and added: “The exterior ‘skin’ of the Building was practically falling off!
It is now in better shape than when built in 1792. More time without renovation would have destroyed our beloved White House!” Beforehand, the president had posted new conceptual artwork showing off the interior of his forthcoming White House ballroom, which he described as: “Massively expensive, but free of charge to the American Taxpayer – On budget, and ahead of schedule!” He said in another post that his “spectacular” ballroom “will be the GREATEST of its kind anywhere in the World! Also, it is a Gift to the U.S.A. from me and other American Patriots – No Taxpayer Dollars will be expended in its Construction.” Although Trump was eager to reassure voters the $600 million cost of the project – which he has attempted to justify on security grounds – would not fall to them, polls have consistently indicated they would rather he turned his gaze towards matters that concern them more acutely, from taming inflation to bringing down gas prices.
Before jetting out for Ireland, the president was also musing about his design preferences for the U.S. capital, calling for a towering statue of George Washington to be erected outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Trump has made numerous embellishments to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and its Washington surroundings since returning to power last year, from the demolition of the East Wing to make way for the ballroom to the construction of a new helipad on the South Lawn. Other signature enterprises have included paving over the Rose Garden to turn it into a Florida patio, adding new plaques and signage across the West Wing and, most disastrously, making over the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool in “American Flag Blue.” All together, the cost of the president’s pet projects has been pegged at $927 million so far.
New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan estimated in their recent book Regime Change that Trump devotes around 70 percent of his focus to his aesthetic preferences, leaving only 30 percent for other pressing issues, from Iran to the midterms. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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