{"id":4018,"date":"2026-06-26T09:04:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T09:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4018"},"modified":"2026-06-26T09:04:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T09:04:22","slug":"tracking-trumps-projects-and-plans-reshaping-dc-so-far-this-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=4018","title":{"rendered":"Tracking Trump\u2019s projects and plans reshaping DC so far this term"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n President Donald Trump has aggressively moved to leave his imprint on the nation\u2019s capital in the year and a half since he returned to office.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump nominates Chris Klomp as HHS second-in-command<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The famed Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been drained, painted blue and filled again. But the algae has returned and Trump has said that material peeling off the bottom will require the pool to be drained again. An entire wing of the White House is gone, demolished to a pile of rubble, while construction on a much larger 90,000-square foot replacement is underway.\n <\/p>\n

\n Sites around town are being scoped out for new, splashy monuments. The president\u2019s name has been added to several buildings in the nation\u2019s capital, including the US Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center, although it\u2019s since been removed from the latter to comply with a court order. And Trump has touted the repair of Columbus Fountain, in front of Union Station, as \u201cthe most magnificent possibly of all,\u201d among a number of fountains repaired around the city.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN is tracking the projects and plans reshaping DC so far this term.\n <\/p>\n

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\n The president \u2014 reverting to his roots as a builder and developer \u2014 has blown through regulatory hurdles, sparking legal challenges to several of his projects. And while he\u2019s secured millions in private donations, some efforts are also racking up millions at the taxpayers\u2019 expense.\n <\/p>\n

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\n Public opinion is largely not on Trump\u2019s side. Americans, for example, overwhelmingly oppose his ballroom project and his proposed triumphal arch. In Trump\u2019s view, though, construction is the foundation of his legacy, according to sources familiar with his thinking.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019m a really good builder. The thing I do best in life is build,\u201d the president told reporters in May over the sound of ballroom construction.\n <\/p>\n

\n White House ballroom construction\n<\/h2>\n

\n Trump\u2019s plans for a new White House ballroom began in 2010, with an offer to the Obama administration to build one that wouldreplace the tents used for large state dinners. After ruminating on the idea for 15 years, Trump moved quickly upon entering office for a second time to make it a reality. After he hired an architect and drew up plans, the excavators began tearing into the East Wing in October to make way.\n <\/p>\n

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\n Trump has said his planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom would cost $400 million, which would be privately funded. But the contractor estimated a $600 million price tag, half of which would be publicly paid for, according to a copy of the estimate obtained by The Washington Post.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump will present the World Cup trophy. It could be VERY awkward<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The president has argued the ballroom is a security imperative, especially after the shooting at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner. But a request for Congress to appropriate security funding led to tension even with Senate Republicans, some of whom feared the optics of paying for such a project while Americans are struggling to make ends meet \u2014 and removed it from a key immigration package.\n <\/p>\n

\n The new entertainment space, which will sit atop a rebuilt bunker, will feature Corinthian columns and crystal chandeliers, closely resembling the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago. Trump\u2019s Florida resort\u2019s aesthetics have also seemed to influence the gold trimmings adorning the Oval Office and the Roosevelt Room, as well as the marble used in the remodeled Lincoln Bedroom bathroom and redone Palm Room flooring.\n <\/p>\n

\n Elsewhere on the White House campus, Trump has sought to repaint the hulking grey Eisenhower Executive Office Building with a white \u201cmagic paint,\u201d although he\u2019s agreed to freeze his plans for now after preservationists sued.\n <\/p>\n

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\u2014CNN\u2019s Kevin Liptak, Ren\u00e9e Rigdon and Thomas Bordeaux contributed to this report. <\/p>

This story has been updated with additional information. <\/p>

Methodology | CNN has been tracking President Donald Trump\u2019s changes across DC \u2014 since his inauguration in 2025 \u2014 through statements, social media, court filings, reporting across the city, hearings and other media reports. The June 26, 2026, update of this story focuses on his changes within the District itself (not in Maryland or Virginia) and those projects that he has personally mentioned online or in person. Therefore, this list is not exhaustive. <\/p>

Photo Credits: National Park Service, Kevin Carter\/Getty Images, REUTERS\/Kylie Cooper, Drew Angerer\/Getty Images, REUTERS\/Brian Snyder, Carol M. Highsmith\/Library of Congress. Renderings: National Park Service, National Capital Planning Commission.<\/p>

Read more Takeaways: Supreme Court hands Trump massive wins on immigration agenda<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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