‘Gonna Pave Over It, Isn’t He?’: Outrage Boils Over Trump’s Latest Vanity Project as Blowback Over Iran War Continues and Critics Wonder What He’s Up to
President Donald Trump is committed to reshaping the nation’s capital in his image, despite many Americans being more concerned about the active war in Iran impacting the U.S. than his beloved Washington monuments.
The 79-year-old real estate mogul has already filled the Oval Office with golden trinkets and wall trimmings, reminiscent of the gilded decor of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and his Trump Tower skyscraper in New York.
Trump had the White House Rose Garden paved over to transform the area adjacent to the South Lawn into a patio for social gatherings. And the East Wing was destroyed to make space for a $400 million ballroom, and with more renovations on the way, people are wondering exactly what he is up to.
Both the interior and the exterior of the White House now reflect the billionaire showman’s gaudy sense of style. Apparently, the next major Trump makeover in D.C. will take place at the National Mall.
On April 9, the president shared a message on Truth Social about his plans for one of the most iconic landmarks in Washington, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. His hand-picked head of the Department of the Interior is involved in the unspecified renovation project.
“President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, are proud to be fixing the once beautiful Reflecting Pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial,” the POTUS boasted.
He continued, “We were told it was going to take YEARS to do this job, and it will take a fraction of that time, at a fraction of the cost — and it will be much more beautiful than the day it was built!”
The Reflecting Pool was finished in 1923, one year after the Lincoln Memorial’s dedication. Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 led to the National Park Service renovating the site between 2010 and 2012.
Burgum, 69, co-signed the Reflecting Pool announcement with his own remarks on social media. The former North Dakota governor uploaded a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Post and added a fawning caption about his boss.
“We are working at Trump Speed to Make Washington, D.C. Safe and Beautiful! Proud to work alongside @POTUS to restore the Reflecting Pool,” Burgum stated. “What was expected to take years is getting done faster and at a lower cost thanks to his leadership. Our capital has never looked better!”
This was not the first time Trump had declared he and Burgum planned to “fix” the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. A similar claim was made by the president in November 2025 when he posted a 28-second Truth Social video promoting his “Make DC Beautiful Again” campaign.
The timing of Trump’s latest push to beautify the National Mall sparked backlash online, with critics questioning why taxpayer dollars are being funneled into cosmetic upgrades while costs rise and the Iran conflict intensifies—fueling broader outrage over his priorities.
Daniel Pfeiffer, political podcaster and ex-adviser to former President Barack Obama, called out the current White House occupant by tweeting, “No money for healthcare, rural hospitals, vets, or schools, just wars, tax cuts for the rich, and Trump vanity projects.”
“Dude is ripping America’s institutions for his own vanity… make it stop. Please,” begged a like-minded individual.
“How does that make American lives more affordable?” wondered one X user, which led to a reply that read, “It doesn’t, but Trump has to have his vanity and construction projects, so you have to suck it up because 77 million stupid people voted for that absolute moron.”
Yet another person reacted to news that Trump is looking to modify the Reflecting Pool by asking, “Is he lining it [with] the gold?” Similarly, another skeptical poster tweeted, “He’s gonna pave over it, isn’t he?
It is still not clear exactly what Trump has lined up for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but the National Park Service regularly cleans the man-made body of water. In fact, a crew began the process of removing leaves, trash, and other debris last November, one day before Trump posted the “Make DC Beautiful Again” video.
Whether it is the transformation of the White House, the demolition of the East Wing, or unknown changes for the Reflecting Pool, Trump is committed to leaving his personal mark on America’s capital city, even if it fuels intense anger among his most hardened detractors.
His makeover of the Rose Garden included swapping out the iconic lawn for a paved setup, leaving behind patchy, uneven grass that quickly became the real focus. Last week’s annual Easter Egg Roll event was meant to showcase the revamped space, but instead, attention shifted to the inconsistent lawn and unfinished look, with critics saying the changes stripped the garden of its character and left it looking more makeshift than presidential.
Another one of Trump’s vanity projects is drawing outrage as veterans move to block his proposed “Independence Arch,” arguing it would disrupt historic views near Arlington.