An analysis of Donald Trump’s public comments over the past six weeks shows the president appears to enjoy talking about his refurb of D.C. almost twice as much as his war with Iran.
Trump, who turned 80 this month, retook office last year hellbent on remaking the capital in his own image ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday, kicking off a construction binge that has reached far beyond White House grounds.
An analysis by The Telegraph of the president’s statements and Truth Social posts between May 1 and June 10 has found that Trump, unless prompted otherwise by reporters’ questions, touts his capital projects up to 70 percent more often than the conflict with Tehran.
The president spoke about “Washington improvement projects” 34 times and the Iran conflict just 20 times in public remarks during that window, according to the newspaper.
Counting comments made in response to journalists’ questions, the totals climbed to 86 for Iran and 43 for D.C. projects—suggesting his interest is seldom shared by the people he’s speaking to.
Trump also fired off 1,097 Truth Social posts in the same window—around 27 a day—with around a tenth touching on his capital push. He sent 14 posts on May 30 alone about his various projects, floating a drone port to guard the ballroom and unloading on a court ruling that stripped his name from the Kennedy Center. He mentioned the war once.
The president is planning to splash $600 million on his 90,000-square-foot ballroom, has paved over the Rose Garden, and has spent $14 million on a brilliant-blue paint job for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that has so far succeeded only in turning its waters slime green.
He has also drawn up plans for a tacky gold arch modeled on France’s Arc de Triomphe, a National Garden of American Heroes, and a sprawling D.C. golf course, as well as a scheme to spruce up 22 fountains across the capital.
Trump made clear earlier in March he considers his D.C. refurb as important as fighting his war in the Middle East—if not more so. “I’m so busy that I don’t have time to do this, but… I’m fighting wars and other things,” he told reporters. “But this is very important, because this is going to be with us for a long time.”
His renovations land at a difficult moment for Republicans in the polls. The war drove the national average gas price up to $4.56 a gallon in May, while inflation has now hit 4 percent, its highest in three years. Trump’s approval rating sits at a near record-low of 38 percent, with Democrats holding an almost seven-point lead on the national congressional ballot as the November midterms loom.
Voters have not been coy about their view of the D.C. makeover either. More than half oppose his planned 250-foot Independence Arch, according to an April Ipsos poll. The same survey found voters reject his White House ballroom by a two-to-one margin and oppose adding his signature to U.S. paper money by more than five-to-one.
“When Trump obsesses over these unpopular projects, he sends a message to the public that he is not focused on making their lives better or concerned with gas and food prices as a result of his war,” Matthew Dallek, a political management professor at George Washington University, told The Telegraph.
“It suggests the president is woefully out of touch,” he added.
Last month, the president referred to soaring gas prices as “peanuts.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment on this story.
