By Jeffrey A. Rendall
Donald Trump likes spectacular projects; will the People credit him? Or blame him?
Casually strolling the streets of Washington, DC, one wouldn’t necessarily garner that a sizable chunk of President Donald J. Trump’s personal and political legacy is wrapped up in what’s visible there today.
But it is. Quite simply put, Trump is everywhere in DC, and I’m not just talking about the amazingly large 88-foot flag poles on both sides of the White House or the towering cranes servicing the construction site to the east side of the executive mansion. Or the Trump-heavy souvenir shops dotted throughout the metropolis or the newfound sense of safety and security among the citizens in attendance on any given day.
No, Donald Trump’s legacy is fabricated into the buildings themselves. The 45th and now 47th president will leave an impression on DC long after his governing days are over. The establishment media won’t need to report on them to recognize the differences, and tour guides will need to memorize new facts to present the authentic story of the man named Trump who was elected twice (three times?) to the highest office in the land and sought to inspire Americans with his agenda and etch his aura in architecture as well.
In a story titled, “Trump looks to literally build his legacy. Does it sound an affordability clarion call?” Naomi Lim reported at the Washington Examiner:
“The projects … have opened Trump up to criticism, especially after the president said the ballroom would not require the destruction of the East Wing. However, in October, crews began razing the building to the ground. The ballroom has also been criticized for offering special interests more opportunities to influence Trump after donors contributed a record-breaking $245 million to his inaugural committee, and their names were not made public.
“In response, the White House disclosed the names of the ballroom’s 37 donors. Among them are Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, Lockheed Martin, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, T-Mobile, and Union Pacific Railroad, all of whom have business interests with Trump’s administration, including Stefan Brodie, a pardon-seeking industrial metals investor.
“The ballroom, too, has been scrutinized for its lack of approval, despite being announced in July. The White House will only submit plans to the National Capital Planning Commission this month, after Trump replaced members of the board in October and his architect, allegedly due to a disagreement over the building’s size, this week.”
Yes, it’s true. At least some of it is. The entire east side of the White House complex is obscured from view, and don’t even think about getting past the human and physical barriers in the vicinity for a closer look. President Trump has put his personal stamp on the ongoing work, but for a while – a few years – the changes taking place will continue to be debated.
Objectively speaking, they’re fair game for conversation and pundit debate, along with everything else that’s transpiring in government in Trump’s era. It’ll be a legacy, indeed, including the societal evolutions that come along with the new atmosphere and aren’t so pleasant to think about and relay.
Like it or not, the “affordability” issue will persist as long as prices remain high on certain consumer products. The inflation that plagued the senile Joe Biden years hasn’t been alleviated, as of yet, by lower costs at the consumer level. Trump’s plethora of projects are grand, indeed, and will make America a more beautiful place. But will Trump get political credit for it, or “blame” for devoting gobs of money to beautification aesthetics when folks are still struggling?
A recent trip to the Nation’s Capital was somewhat revealing on part of the answer.
It’d been a number of years since I’d “toured” DC as the average traveler would do, but it was clear several things had changed remarkably in that timeframe. To begin with, security had been stepped up significantly since the “old days” when one freely walked the avenues and admired the monuments without hardly being bothered at all.
No more. Even on a cold midweek December morning, police presence was ubiquitous (how do you like that word?), pretty much everywhere we went. We only spotted a few individuals who appeared to be National Guardsmen, but the police and local law enforcement filled the gaps in plenty. We noticed a few homeless people lying on steam grates around the big buildings, but their presence/domination wasn’t anything like it’d been before.
Where’d the vagrants go? It’s something appreciative residents of well-run cities (is there such a thing outside of Trump’s policy influence?) must have noticed in total. The two Guardsmen who were shot a few weeks ago notwithstanding, there’s a new feeling of safety in an around DC. Even at Union Station, which we visited briefly to hide from the cold for a half hour or so, didn’t contain the overwhelming homeless occupation that it had become notorious for.
Lafayette Park, across from the White House, was virtually deserted. The Trump effect was certainly felt there. And the need to protect the president now as opposed to decades ago when I first visited DC was incredibly evident. Whereas access to the presidential mansion was, at one time, virtually uninhibited (WAY back when), now the curious can’t get within shouting distance of the White House. I seem to recall one could at least get near the Wrought Iron fences, but contemporary metal barriers have been installed some distance further away from those in our times.
It’s a necessary consequence of living in today’s world. Access to the decision-makers is extremely limited to protect against what MIGHT happen. It’s hard to recall when Pennsylvania Avenue was formerly open on the north side. Now there are lots of officers dressed in what looks like riot gear. They’re approachable and reasonably friendly, but “welcoming” isn’t a word I’d use to describe them.
That being said, the security presence did come with a price tag, and I’m not just talking about the serious taxpayer money it takes to fix eyes on just about everything. There’s a “liberty/freedom” tag for the average person as well. Being required to run ourselves through airport-like metal detectors everywhere we ventured has become a way of life, really, and these days we don’t even think twice about having to empty our pockets or pause as the person in front goes through the metal detector before gaining permission from the authorities to enter a building.
Even the outdoor expanses featured a security presence in DC, though the famous monuments near the White House were lightly patrolled. The buzzing sound of groundskeepers’ blowers was the only thing spoiling the serenity and it was noteworthy and surprising at how many folks braved the cold to jog in shorts or light outfits on a day where the air temperature was in the mid-20s. The chill wasn’t bad if you dressed for it. But cold is cold.
Perhaps it was the weather that partially kept the crowds away, along with the day of the week and the month. There were a mere handful of onlookers at the Lincoln Memorial and I could only surmise – and remember – what it’s like at these places during the warm months, when bus loads of tourists seemingly occupy every iota of extra space and wait in line for just about everything.
Not in December, however. If you want to visit DC, think about doing it then.
Thankfully, the omnipresent security is always noticeable and mostly unobtrusive. At The National Archives building, for example, we went into the rotunda and inspected the displays holding the actual Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution – the original documents themselves — which have faded through previous neglect and ignorance of preservation techniques so as to be virtually unreadable now. But still, the original pieces of parchment are there for visitors to gawk at and ponder.
The nation’s archives figure prominently in the movie “National Treasure”, of course. But the documents themselves don’t look anything like those displayed in the Hollywood production.
A number of “guards” were stationed near the exhibitions there, assuredly instructed to keep close surveillance for any visitor who might wish to harm or destroy them. One can only imagine what it must be like for these human beings to fulfill their job duties, which basically involve keeping their eyes focused on visitors in the galleries without interruption. Not much interaction there. And they’re certainly highly paid for their “services’, too.
These must be the most mundane of mundane jobs. But again, the “watchers” are a function of today’s society and culture, almost exclusively originating from one (Hint: left) side of the political spectrum. What ever happened to reverence for history and tradition? Who would seek to harm the founding documents? Did the Founding Fathers envision that someday they’d have to hire policeman to watch over the relics of the republic?
These were a few of the observations made during our visual audit of Washington. Donald Trump didn’t necessarily choose to make redoing the once-proud center of American political life his legacy, but he’s enthusiastically embraced the project nonetheless. There’s a lot of work left to do, and the American people must engage with the vision. Trump’s legacy lies in the balance.
Jeff Rendall is editor and publisher of GolfintheUSA.com and has written about golf and politics for over a quarter of a century. A non-practicing attorney from California, he moved to the east coast three decades ago to pursue and combine his interests in all things American history and culture. Jeff has worked as an intern on Capitol Hill and in various capacities in grassroots organizing and conservative organizations and publications, including a nearly two-decade stint at ConservativeHQ.com. Column republishing or other inquiries: Rendall@msn.com .