President Donald Trump, 80, had a laundry list of projects he wanted completed by the United States’ 250th birthday, but many remain unfinished.
Trump’s birthday wish list included repairing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, creating a garden of American heroes, fixing D.C. potholes and restoring Lafayette Square, among others.
Many of the initiatives were established by executive order, including the 1776 Commission, which was first convened during Trump’s first term and was reformed in January 2025.
Although Trump signed an executive order restoring the commission under the purview of the Department of Education, there is no evidence it was ever convened, nor that anyone was appointed to it, nor that any work was done to promote and support the 250th, the Washington Post reported.
Trump’s ‘Garden of American Heroes’ is another project that was continued from his first term. An executive order establishing the garden was issued in 2020 and directed that work to create the park be completed by America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
The president wants to create the garden in West Potomac Park, along the Potomac River, with life-sized statues of around 250 Americans, including Christopher Columbus, Elvis Presley and Albert Einstein.
The project was rescinded by President Joe Biden, and then reinstated by Trump in January 2025. Although Trump administration officials have begun commissioning statues and securing funding, construction of the garden has not yet begun because of a lawsuit challenging it, arguing that Congress must authorize the project.
Lafayette Square, on the other hand, remains closed to the public despite restoration work there being completed in time for July 4. The park is fenced off from the public until July 31 due to a request from the Secret Service regarding security of the White House.
The president has plans to build a fence that would allow the square to be closed when necessary, the Post reported.
The Reflecting Pool has the highest profile of Trump’s efforts to beautify D.C., with the president’s plan to turn it ‘American Flag Blue’ before July 4 fizzling out into an algae-filled crime scene, where several people have been arrested or cited for vandalism.
The pool’s lining is cracked, and the much-vaunted paint is peeling, but Trump maintains that the structural issues are due to vandalism, not a rushed job by a no-bid contractor.
“To be clear, the Reflecting Pool was completed until it was vandalized by lunatics attempting to destroy a national monument,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.
The new color, coupled with the summer heat, was also suggested to be part of the reason the bright green algae bloomed so quickly.
A contract to fill potholes in D.C. ahead of July 4th has also been extended, and the $177,000 contract is now projected to end August 28, the Post reported.
“No other president has done more to beautify our Nation’s interior than President Trump,” Ingle said.
“From restoring our treasured landmarks, which had suffered years of abuse and vandalism, to cleaning our parks and the Reflecting Pool, President Trump’s bold vision ensured that America rang in its 250th birthday celebration with glory and pride.”
