President Donald Trump, 80, is secretly planting a monument to himself in Lafayette Square in the form of 47 Maple trees.
The Washington Post revealed the news on Sunday, saying the planned tribute—which uses trees as a nod to Trump being the 47th president—has been under development for months.
Trump reportedly wanted the new tree design ready for July 4, but experts familiar with the operation say it won’t be finished before August.
Lafayette Square is located in President’s Park and viewed by the president as the entrance to the White House. In his vision, the park would be filled with 47 Maple trees to commemorate his second term.
The latest ego booster comes as Trump’s name was removed from the Kennedy Center and his renovation of the Reflecting Pool descends into farce. His massive East Wing ballroom is a pit of construction at the moment, and his dream of an imposing Arc de Triomphe dupe hasn’t gotten off the ground yet.
The work on Lafayette Square will reportedly also include a new fence on two sides, something the Secret Service has been asking for.
A White House spokesperson told The Washington Post the square was being restored.
“Thanks to President Trump, Lafayette Park is finally being restored to its former glory on behalf of the American people,” Taylor Rogers said in a statement.
And a spokesperson for the Department of Interior said “the way this contract was awarded is above board,” in a statement to The Washington Post.
The White House and the Department of Interior did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The president’s penchant for beautifying D.C. using funding for National Parks that might have found better uses elsewhere was revealed in another report on Saturday.
Trump spent over $600,000 of parks funding to rip up and replace the walkway from the White House residency to the Oval Office.
The new paving was African black granite, carved in Italy and imported in time for King Charles’ state visit.
When the project was first announced, Trump told a reporter he was paying for the new paving, but that turned out not to be true.
