Politics

Why Trump’s D.C. Makeover Is Getting Even Worse

HIS BOTCHED MAKEOVER

Trump’s constant stream of vanity projects is exhausting federal workers in Washington.

President Donald Trump’s goons cannot keep up with his insatiable need to leave a physical legacy across the nation’s capital, the Daily Beast’s political correspondent Farrah Tomazin has revealed.

Appearing on the latest episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, Tomazin told host Joanna Coles that Trump’s relentless hodgepodge of vanity-project ideas has left federal workers in Washington scrambling to keep up.

Tomazin added that a lack of preparation doomed Trump’s Fourth of July projects, such as his barren Great American State Fair and his botched Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation.

“I mean, he claims he is a world-class builder,” Tomazin told Coles. “I guess the fact that a lot of these projects are just rushed through—I mean, we had no idea until not long ago that he was suddenly going to be creating an ‘American Flag Blue’ Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool."

A child rides their bike past the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as it's drained.
A child rides their bike past the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as it's drained. Leah Millis/REUTERS

“Nobody voted for it, nobody knew about it not that long ago, and suddenly, he couldn’t stop talking about it,” she continued. “And that’s the thing with Donald Trump.”

Reached for comment, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, “The Daily Beast is a mentally challenged, lightweight operation. Hopefully the idiots who work there will eventually be able to get themselves a real job.”

A person carries a miniature statue of U.S. President Donald Trump at The Great American State Fair along the National Mall on July 04, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Trump's fair to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary was a mess. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Tomazin highlighted that though every president has a legacy, typically in the form of policies, such as President Obama’s Affordable Care Act or Franklin D. Roosevelt’s creation of Social Security, Trump is different.

“Trump seems determined to kind of leave something much more physical,” she explained, saying that he wants “buildings that people can literally point to.”

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on July 06, 2026.
Trump has sought to leave an indelible mark on Washington, D.C. Anna Moneymaker/Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

“Washington is obviously the nation’s capital, but for him, it’s also kind of an audience, a stage,” she added.

Tomazin said Trump’s obsession with erecting physical monuments has put immense pressure on his subordinates, leading to work that is “rushed” and “not well thought through.”

Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje compete in a lightweight title bout during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, June 15, 2026, in Washington.
Freedom 250 had pushed for Donald Trump to be the center of what should be nonpartisan celebrations of America’s 250th birthday. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Reuters

“Government sources tell me within various departments that they’re just scrambling,” she explained. “They’ll suddenly be hit with this... idea that he’s... bragged about—'Oh, I want a reflecting pool to be American flag blue,’ and... suddenly, you know, they’ve gotta... start scrambling.”

Tomazin stressed how “builder guy” Trump is obsessed with creating “spectacles” and “made-for-TV” moments, such as his UFC at the White House birthday bash and his destruction of the White House’s East Wing to make room for his increasingly more expensive ballroom-bunker.

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts after being given a personalised racing helmet during a Freedom 250 Grand Prix Showcase at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 13, 2026.
Trump got his own custom racing helmet for the upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix. Kylie Cooper/REUTERS

“The streets are about to be blocked off in August so that cars can drive at 190 miles an hour down Pennsylvania Avenue—a street that’s made for 25 miles-an-hour limits," she said, emphasizing the absurdity of Trump’s upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix.

“It’s quite bonkers, actually,” Tomazin reflected. “But this is the president.”

New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast are released every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday on YouTube, and on other podcast platforms the next morning. Follow our new feed on your favorite podcast platform at beast.pub/dailybeastpod and subscribe on YouTube to watch full episodes.