President Donald Trump has announced or begun a wide-ranging set of construction and renovation efforts in Washington, D.C., from resurfacing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to pursuing a new White House ballroom and proposed monument projects tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary in July 2026. Several initiatives have prompted lawsuits, procedural disputes and public backlash, even as federal planning bodies continue to review and, in some cases, approve the proposals.
President Donald Trump, a longtime real estate developer, has framed his interest in remaking parts of the capital in personal terms.
“I have two jobs,” Trump said in late 2025, describing the presidency as one and “a construction job” as the other — work he called “relaxation.”
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
The administration has begun resurfacing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, applying a blue coating that Trump described as “American flag blue.” The Department of the Interior told NPR it expects the project to be completed by the end of May.
The reflecting pool last underwent a major renovation from 2010 to 2012. The Interior Department has said incorrect pipe sizing contributed to continued water-loss problems afterward, including costly refills — the department cited 71 million additional gallons of water in 2019 alone, costing more than $1 million.
Neil Flanagan, an architect and public historian in Washington, criticized the approach, saying Trump is treating the pool — and the city — “like it’s his personal country club.”
District golf courses and East Potomac Park
The Interior Department terminated the nonprofit National Links Trust’s 50-year lease in December, accusing the group of failing to meet lease terms — an allegation the trust has denied. The dispute has fueled uncertainty over the future of the District’s three municipal golf courses, especially the heavily used East Potomac Golf Links.
Trump has floated upgrading the courses to “championship level,” telling The Wall Street Journal in December that “if we do them, we’ll do it really beautifully.” Some local golfers sued in February.
Separately, NPR reported that soil and debris associated with the White House East Wing demolition have been dumped at the East Potomac course, and that a report by NOTUS — citing unnamed sources — said the administration planned to take over operations and begin renovations that could lead to closures. National Links Trust said in a statement that the takeover report was “a complete surprise.”
Democracy Forward filed an emergency court request on Sunday seeking to block any closure of East Potomac Golf Links beyond routine maintenance and to stop additional dumping of fill in the park. At a hearing on Monday, a federal judge said the administration must obtain court approval if it intends to cut down more than 10 trees. The trust said the course remained open as of Monday.
White House ballroom proposal and court fights
Trump has also pursued a new White House ballroom on the site of the East Wing, which NPR reported was demolished in October. The administration has described the ballroom as a 90,000-square-foot project expected to cost at least $300 million, with completion projected for 2028.
The plan has drawn legal challenges from preservation groups. NPR reported that a federal judge has twice ordered construction to stop unless Congress authorizes it, while allowing certain below-ground work tied to national-security infrastructure — a category the administration says includes upgrades to a bunker beneath the site.
Even amid the litigation, the National Capital Planning Commission approved the ballroom plans, after receiving more than 30,000 public comments that NPR said were largely negative.
Proposed monuments, executive actions, and other renovation plans
NPR also reported that Trump is moving forward with plans for a 250-foot “victory arch,” with the Commission of Fine Arts approving the concept earlier this spring. The proposal has prompted opposition in public comments and a lawsuit from Vietnam War veterans, according to NPR.
Other initiatives highlighted by NPR include changes to Lafayette Square, which the report said remained fenced as turf and infrastructure work continued, and renovations at the John F. Kennedy Center following Trump’s takeover of its board. NPR reported that the center is slated to close in July for two years as part of a maintenance project budgeted at $257 million.
The NPR report also cited executive actions promoting neoclassical federal architecture and a federal “beautification” initiative, alongside a proposed $10 billion budget connected to those priorities.
