US Politics
From Potomac golf course to government paint jobs: Inside Trump’s renovation plans for White House and DC
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Since taking office in January, flourishes of President Donald Trump’s distinctive architectural style have appeared throughout the White House.
First he gilded the Oval Office, then reworked the Rose Garden. And just last month, Trump took a “little walk” on the West Wing roof, boasting about plans for a sprawling $200 million ballroom “on the other side.”
Now, the 79-year-old real estate tycoon-turned-president appears more intent than ever on leaving his mark on the White House and the wider Washington, D.C area.
“He seems to wake up and say, what else needs to be improved?,” a person familiar with Trump’s remodeling plans told Politico. “Every day, it’s something new.”
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While some changes serve purely aesthetic purposes, others appear more functional.
The president’s idea to pave over the Rose Garden lawn with stone slabs in diamond formation, for example, was intended to create a more user-friendly space for press conferences and receptions, one source said.
And a month ago, Trump expressed displeasure at the lighting in the Cabinet room, where convenings are often available to be viewed by the public.
The president, who previously spent more than a decade sitting in a made-for-TV Manhattan boardroom in his reality show The Apprentice, ordered that better lighting be installed around the room’s ceiling, according to a White House official.
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One of Trump’s most recent improvement ideas concerns giving the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, just west of the White House, turning its granite gray walls a crisp white, a source said.
The source reiterated that taxpayers have not footed the bill for Trump’s renovations and said the president has “good reason” to implement his changes.
Outside the 225-year-old executive mansion and its surrounding buildings, Trump has ambitions of sprucing up D.C.
Nestled between the Potomac River and Washington Channel, the president is weighing the refurbishment and rebranding of the East Potomac Golf Links at Hains Point, two sources said.
After a staffer first presented the idea, the president warmed to purchasing the public course, one of the sources said.
The club, the sources said, could be called “Washington National Golf Course” with a new logo rendered nearly identical to those for the president’s other clubs.
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The president has continued to defend his deployment of the National Guard and takeover of the police force in the capital last month, claiming, at his direction, the city was turned from “the most dangerous place in the world” to the “safest place” in under two weeks.
On August 22, Trump said that he expects Congress to approve $2 billion in federal funding, unveiling plans for the capital to be “beautified in 12 months.” The focus, he said, was on an area within a three-mile radius of the White House.
Two sources told Politico that Trump wants work finished before the nation’s 250th Independence Day.
Trump is “very focused” on getting fountains – from Lafayette Square to Union Station’s Columbus fountain and other National Mall water features – operational again, with a source reiterating: “He cares a lot about the fountains.”
He also announced plans last month to repave the city’s streets, stripping off the concrete in place for a more “beautiful, well-done” asphalt.
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Critics argue Trump’s redesign of iconic government buildings signals a bid for sweeping control, but a White House official insists his motives are far more straightforward.
“He’s actually thinking about his legacy. He wants to leave a lasting impact and leave things better off than they were,” they said.
Meanwhile, White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Politico that Trump is fulfilling his promise to usher in the “Golden Age of America.”
“President Trump is a builder at heart and has brought this talent to our nation’s capital,” said White House spokesman Davis Ingle. “He is restoring American greatness to everything he touches – from the White House to our federal buildings and DC parks – and is fulfilling his promise to usher in a new Golden Age of America.”
The Independent has contacted the White House for more information.
