‘Unelected mayor of DC’: Trump continues Washington makeover despite backlash

Published May 19, 2026 7:00am ET



President Donald Trump is forging ahead with a sweeping overhaul of the White House and the nation’s capital that allies hail as beautification and critics say is costly and unnecessary.

Undeterred by criticism of his plans to construct a 90,000-square-foot ballroom in place of the White House’s East Wing and to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue, Trump is now poised to add a helipad to the South Lawn.

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