America’s own Louis XIV has embarked on his next home improvement project, said Tiago Ventura in Time. President Trump recently announced the construction of a $5 million granite helipad engraved with the U.S. presidential seal on the White House’s South Lawn. It’s the latest flourish from a president who seeks to “refashion both the White House and Washington through a series of high-profile renovation projects.” The most well-known are the botched repainting of the Reflecting Pool and the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make way for a still-unbuilt ballroom. But in total, Trump has launched 18 known projects to remake the U.S. capital in his own image and taste. The Oval Office has been adorned with so much gold leaf that it resembles the glittering excess of Versailles, while White House walls now bear gaudy gold script proclaiming “The Oval Office,” “The West Wing,” and “The Presidential Walk of Fame.”
Trump claims his renovations are being funded by private donors and won’t cost taxpayers a dime, said Andrew Feinberg in The Independent. But a close examination of public records reveals “a pattern of ballooning budgets, noncompetitive bidding, and the weaponization of federal funds” to bankroll Trump’s vanity projects. These “improvements” have drained at least $1 billion in taxpayer dollars. Trump’s projects are also illegal, said Edith Olmsted in The New Republic. By law, Congress is required to approve any construction on federal land. But because congressional Republicans fear crossing the president, he has been allowed to treat the White House “like one of his gaudy resort properties,” rather than the once-dignified, 226-year-old People’s House.
While Congress turns a blind eye, “a majority of Americans don’t approve,” said Sarah Davis in The Hill. A recent Washington Post poll found that 2 out of 3 Americans take a dim view of Trump’s extravagant renovations. When asked about Trump’s motivations, 64% said he was transforming Washington, D.C., to “glorify himself” or “leave his mark,” not to benefit the public. Renovation is easier than the economy or foreign policy, said Jackie Delamatre in The Guardian. With mounting troubles both domestically and internationally, it’s no surprise that Trump has retreated to the safety of these relatively small matters. He’s even been caught supergluing gold accents to the Oval Office’s mantle himself. In his desperation to self-soothe, Trump can’t stop himself from adding “just one more gilded vase.”