A blistering new poll has revealed that a growing number of Americans are fed up with President Donald Trump’s flashy personal branding projects.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has sought to leave his mark on Washington, D.C., spending millions on a series of large-scale, self-branded projects and symbolic redesigns of federal spaces.
So far, that has included plans for a 250-foot-tall “Arc de Trump,” modeled after Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, and a $300 million, 90,000‑square‑foot, Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom to replace the White House East Wing.
Trump’s most recent move has included adding his signature to all denominations of U.S. bills, marking the first time in U.S. history that a president has added their name to the currency, Vanity Fair first reported on Thursday.
Until now, U.S. currency featured the signatures of the Treasury secretary and the U.S. treasurer, but has never featured that of a president. Trump’s signature is set to replace U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach.
But polling shows that most Americans don’t support these projects.
According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, conducted between April 24-28 among 1,292 U.S. adults, there is widespread opposition to demolishing the White House East Wing to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, with 56 percent of Americans opposed, 28 percent in support, and 15 percent unsure.
Strong opposition (47 percent) outweighs strong support (16 percent) by roughly 3-to-1.
The survey was conducted before and after Saturday’s attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. In its aftermath, Trump reiterated his push for the ballroom, arguing the hotel venue lacked adequate security for presidential events.
Overall opinion shifted little before and after the dinner, though Republican support for the ballroom rose from 62 percent to 72 percent. Among MAGA Republicans, 77 percent support the ballroom, while support stands at only 31 percent among non-MAGA Republicans.
About 9 in 10 Democrats oppose the project, as do roughly 6 in 10 independents.
Americans also oppose a proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery by more than 2-to-1, with 52 percent opposed, 21 percent in favor, and 26 percent unsure. Strong opposition (41 percent) outweighs strong support (9 percent) by over 4-to-1.
Meanwhile, opposition to printing Trump’s signature on paper money in place of the Treasury secretary’s is even stronger than opposition to either the ballroom or the arch proposals.
Some 68 percent of Americans oppose printing Trump’s signature on paper money, compared with 12 percent in support and 19 percent unsure.
A majority across parties oppose it, including 9 in 10 Democrats and more than 7 in 10 independents, while just under 3 in 10 Republicans support the idea.
Trump is facing legal challenges for his self-branded projects.
In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit designated by Congress to protect historic sites, filed a lawsuit seeking to halt construction of the planned ballroom until the administration completed the required federal review process for major government building projects.
Earlier this month, an appeals court panel allowed work to continue by lifting a prior injunction and issuing an administrative stay.
Separately, a group of Vietnam War veterans sued to block the proposed arch, arguing it must be authorized by Congress before construction can proceed and warning it would obstruct the sightline between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
That case has since been paused after the veterans reached a temporary agreement with the administration, which pledged to follow proper legal procedures before moving ahead.
But Trump has pushed ahead with other efforts to stamp his name—and face—across Washington.
The Trump administration has said it renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center after Trump, though any such changes would require congressional approval to become official.
Separately, the president has also placed images of his face on several federal properties, including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor, as well as on the America the Beautiful National Parks pass.
