President Donald Trump is not letting up on giving the city of Washington a facelift with his own personal touch.

His second-term to-do list hasn’t stopped at the White House as he treats the nation’s capital like the latest episode of a renovation show.

Now, Trump has pulled back the tarp on his what some call his biggest Washington secret and the public is not happy.

President Donald Trump has yet another DC beautification project facing scrutiny. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

From putting his stamp on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to proposing a towering Triumphal Arch near Arlington National Cemetery, Trump has set his sights on some of Washington’s most recognizable landmarks.

Trump recently turned his attention to refurbishing four bronze, fire-gilded equestrian statues located at the entrance of Arlington Memorial Bridge in West Potomac Park.

The New York City-bred billionaire shared pictures of The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace on his Truth Social account on the evening of July 27.

‘Clean Up!’: Trump Tried to Shut Down the Muddy Washington Monument Controversy with a Single Photo — But Internet Sleuths Zoomed in and Exposed Exactly What He’s Been Hiding

Trump captioned the four photographs with a celebratory message that read, “Taking down the scaffolding around the regilded Arts of War sculptures!”

The images show the statues, which were first erected in 1951, surrounded by scaffolding with hard hat-wearing construction workers at the scene.

Construction workers weren seen in hard hats and high-visibility safety vests standing on the platforms as they work around the statues. Temporary plywood barriers enclose the base of the structure, blocking access to the work area.

The statues’ bright gold finish contrasts sharply with the silver scaffolding and unfinished construction materials.

On June 12, Trump announced the project on Truth Social and wrote that the sculptures would be “fully regilded by July 3rd.”

He acknowledged the delay, writing, “The Gilders’ Studio has flown in gilders from around the Country to perform this work!” in the same June post.

That deadline came and went. In a July 28 post, Trump shared new photos of the work.

According to Newsweek, the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior awarded a $5.1 million contract to Gilders’ Studio to restore the statues. 

Work at the location reportedly began last month and will continue until September. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum played a key role in altering the sculptures.

View on Threads

Trump coated The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace in 23.75-karat gold leaf, reinforcing his signature aesthetic.

“He’s going to make the whole country white trash tacky,” an X user expressed in responses.

Snapshots of the sculptures are part of the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District. A second Trump critic blasted, “Noooooooo. Why! I mean I know why. But smh.”

“This is utter BS!! I’m so sick of him! Did he pay for this or did we?” an outraged poster wondered.

Someone predicted the fresh gold covering on The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace will not last long. One person said, “It’s going to start flaking off. Just watch.”

“You can’t make it up,” declared another irritated commenter. “Because if you did, Lorne Michaels or Colin Jost would be like, “nah, that joke is too ridiculous.”

Democrats chimed in adding, “Americans are struggling to make ends meet, while Donald Trump uses our tax dollars to stroke his ego.

Over the last 17 months, Trump has fixated on remaking Washington, D.C., to match his personal taste, equipped with the flashy gold accents he favors.

He put that gilded obsession on full display by transforming the White House’s most famous room into a gold-drenched monstrosity.  

Golden decorations and ornaments now cover the Oval Office, bombarding visitors the moment they walk through the door.

Even conservative pundit Laura Ingraham appeared stunned by Trump’s gold-heavy Oval Office makeover during a 2025 tour.

“You can’t imitate real gold. There’s no paint that imitates gold,” Trump told the Fox News Channel host.

Ingraham then asked him to confirm “these aren’t from Home Depot?”

The president replied, “No, this is not Home Depot stuff. This is not Home Depot,” as the camera panned around to show the gold-colored trinkets around the room.

Gilding The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace statues marked just one of Trump’s many Washington makeover projects.

In June, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff launched an inquiry into whether the National Park Service redirected park maintenance funds to help pay for the effort.

Schiff and several other Democratic senators also sent Interior Secretary Doug Burgum a letter criticizing the projects’ “lack of transparency” and warning of “potential waste, fraud, and abuse.”

The lawmakers also demanded a “detailed explanation” of how much taxpayer money has funded Trump’s lavish Washington projects.

‘You Can’t Make It Up’: Trump Finally Pulls Back the Tarp Hiding His Biggest Washington Secret — And the Shocking Change Has Critics Erupting