Kathrine Frich
This intense focus on construction is part of a larger pattern for the politician.
World leaders face endless crises, from global conflicts to urgent domestic disputes.
You might assume a sitting president spends every waking hour wrestling with these massive international stakes.
But sometimes, the commander in chief is just focused on landscaping.
A surprising priority
On Monday, President Donald Trump stood in the Oval Office and announced he had a “big decision” to make. The pressing issue had nothing to do with foreign policy. Instead, he was talking about the dirt across the street, according to HuffPost.
Right now, the president is weighing his options for a landscaping project at Lafayette Park. He wants to rip up the old brick walkways.
During the event, he openly debated the merits of different building materials. “Do we take the pavers that are red, y’know, the red brick pavers, and do we change them into a granite, to gray granite?” he asked the crowd.
“They’re beautiful, but they’re not the original. So we’re gonna have to make that decision.” He added that the gray stone is “stronger” and “holds up much better.”
This intense focus on construction is part of a larger pattern for the politician. He has spent considerable time altering the White House grounds since taking office last year.
Golden glued details
He recently added shiny golden accents around the Oval Office doors. In a highly unusual move, he even glued some of the metallic pieces into place himself.
The administration also paved over the historic Rose Garden. HuffPost noted the new design resembles a club patio found at his Florida resort.
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman highlighted this intense focus during an appearance on The Ezra Klein Show. “If you looked at a chart of his mind share, this I will say about getting into his mind: Seventy percent of it would be on his renovations,” she explained.
Massive cost overruns
Some of these building projects carry a staggering price tag. Last year, the president ordered the demolition of the East Wing to build a new ballroom. He originally claimed private donors would cover the $200 million cost.
That budget has since skyrocketed to roughly $600 million. Taxpayers are now on the hook for about half of that bill, according to HuffPost.
These costly choices follow the botched renovation of the Reflecting Pool, which began deteriorating right after it reopened.
Sources: HuffPost, The New York Times, The Ezra Klein Show
