After the recent controversy that Trump started by building a ballroom, he has just announced plans to build a Promenade in Washington DC that connects the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River, and in true Trump style he’s calling it one of the most beautiful additions that Washington has ever seen.
This is all part of the nation’s capital celebrating America’s 250th birthday, from the brand new ballroom to a repainted reflecting pool to, incredibly, a UFC octagon on the south lawn. Predictably, while the president is building, his opponents are in court trying to stop him. A federal judge has already handed him one loss. Whether you love him or hate him, Trump truly believes that America is worth celebrating. Whether you love just one project or all of them.
Trump spoke from the Oval Office on a June 4th event saying, “it’s called the promenade, will be the promenade. They want to call it the ‘Trump Promenade’ but I don’t know if I want to do that, but it’s going to be beautiful.” The plan is to connect the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River. This will add a new public walkway to one of the most visited American monuments in the country.
Trump has been busy ordering a series of construction projects across Washington as he prepares to mark 250 years of American independence. Trump also gave an update on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. He has repainted it blue and said, “the water is pouring in as we speak, nice clean water”, end quote.”
Regardless of what the media say, these renovations are being done for the American people, not in spite of them.
Everything Else Going Up in Washington
As you may recall, in 2025 the East Wing of the White House was demolished to make way for Trump’s new ballroom. This project drew immediate lawsuits from opponents who wanted a court to decide what a president can do with the executive mansion. On top of all this, Trump has also proposed a massive triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. Unsurprisingly, this project has also ended up in litigation.
And in a never before seen statement, the Ultimate Fighting Championship Arena is being constructed on the south lawn for an upcoming fight, and again unsurprisingly has drawn mockery from the media but cheers from millions of Americans who see it as refreshing and different in a way that Washington has never been.
Every one of these projects is connected to Trump’s vision of celebrating America’s 250th birthday. It would appear that previous administrations showed little to no interest in making it into a national moment. Love it or hate it, it’s difficult to name another president in recent memory who has been this involved or invested this much energy into making America look like it’s proud of itself once again. It’s reminiscent of the 80s era that Trump grew up in, American pride and superiority on display.
The Courts Step In
It seems like Trump is always in a battle with a court. Recently a judge ruled that the Kennedy Center cannot be renamed without Congressional approval and ordered his name to be removed from the side of the building. Trump announced a two year overhaul of the performing arts venue and wanted to put his name on it, but abandoned those plans after a court order prevented him last week. The triumphal arch project and the new White House ballroom have all faced legal challenges, with his opponents arguing that Trump is going beyond what he is legally allowed to do. But have you noticed who is doing the fighting? It’s not voters or taxpayers, and it’s not the people who visit and use these public places. It’s lawyers and judges who are attempting to overrule an elected president on what Washington should look like. These are the same institutions that waved through decades of neglect in a Democrat run city that are now rushing to litigation the moment a legitimate president tries to build something beautiful that is worth seeing.
What This Means for America’s 250th
This year America turns 250 years old, an event to be celebrated. It really does matter how the country decides to mark this milestone. What Trump is doing in Washington, regardless of what you think of his individual projects, is making an argument that America is worth spending the money on, worth honoring, and worth showing off to the world. It’s hard not to think that his critics in the media and the lawyers are making a different argument. They won’t say it out loud, but they’re saying that the country’s monuments, its public spaces, and its symbols of national pride belong to them to manage and to protect from the people who voted overwhelmingly for this president.
I understand that not everyone in the country might want Trump’s name on everything. But, even recent events where the country’s leaders, including Trump, JD Vance, and his Melania, were put at risk from an attack by a violent gunman, came even more to prove that the president needs a secure location to hold these major events, that will benefit those not only in this administration but for hundreds of years to come. Trump is trying to build something that will last but his opponents are trying to stop him.
On America’s 250th birthday, every American gets to decide which side they’re on.