Demolished East Wing, paved Rose Garden, proposed arch: How Trump is leaving his mark on Washington
A $300 million ballroom is just one of many Trump renovation projects.
With construction underway on President Donald Trump's massive ballroom, it's not the first time Trump has worked to put his stamp on the world's most recognizable building and Washington, too.
"He is the builder-in-chief, in large part he was elected back to this People's House because he is good at building things. He has done it his entire life, his entire career," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an appearance on Fox News' "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Tuesday.
Trump himself celebrated the ongoing East Wing demolition for the ballroom on Tuesday, saying he "loves" the sound of construction.
"That’s music to my ears," said the president, who said in July in an announcement about the ballroom, "I'm good at building things."
Although the ballroom may be the most massive change to the White House in nearly 80 years, Trump has overseen changes to other aspects of the grounds in what he calls attempts to beautify the area.
The Rose Garden, located near the West Wing, has been the site of many outdoor presidential news conferences, events and historical moments since President John F. Kennedy renovated the space. The Rose Garden was paved over; the administration added tables with umbrellas where he has since hosted dinners and lunches at the "Rose Garden Club," including one on Tuesday with GOP senators.
"It’s a beautiful white stone and it’s a stone that’s the same color as the White House itself," Trump said in August.
The Oval Office has transformed into a gilded office since Trump returned to office, with gold finishes scattered throughout the room typically bare of such flourishes.
Trump has added numerous presidential portraits in gold frames to the Oval Office walls. He has also displayed gold trophies and plaques on the fireplace mantle and tables.
Leavitt told the Wall Street Journal in April that Trump's décor made it a "golden office for the golden age."
Trump has also installed a new presidential portrait gallery along the West Wing Colonnade. While the new "Presidential Walk of Fame" features portraits of all the presidents in gilded frames, former President Joe Biden's portrait is replaced with a picture of an autopen.
The president's plans to put his own architectural design stamp on Washington has extended beyond the White House, and in a more permanent way, too.
Last Wednesday, during a dinner with the ballroom donors, Trump showed the donors his plans to build a ceremonial arch -- similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris -- that would be located just outside Washington in a roundabout at one end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
"It's going to be really beautiful," Trump said of the arch. "I think it's going to be fantastic."
The president claimed that the arch would be funded with money leftover from the ballroom project and be created in time for the country's 250th anniversary next summer.
When a reporter asked Trump who the arch was for, he pointed at himself and said, "me."
In announcing his newest project, Trump added, "We love to fix up Washington."
ABC News' Karen Travers, Rachel Scott, Hannah Demissie, Michelle Stoddart and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
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