Washington or 'Trumptown': The architectural expression of a cult of personality

Washington or 'Trumptown': The architectural expression of a cult of personality The redevelopment of a public golf course, extensions to the White House and dreams of a triumphal arch: Donald Trump seems to have a growing spate of building projects on the boil in Washington. So what’s driving the president to remake the US capital in his image? For US President Donald Trump, golf is both a guilty pleasure and an area of expertise. The US president has built golf courses all over the world, spends many hours perfecting his swing, and now wishes to add a golf course to his grand project to “revamp” Washington DC. “It will be one of the finest golf courses in the world,” said Trump on June 28 during his visit to the East Potomac Golf Links course, a historic public course managed by a nonprofit. The property magnate, who became the 47th president of the United States, has promised to start renovation works this year from September 1. Remaking Washington in his image Located in the heart of the historic district of Washington DC, not far from the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery, the golf course, which dates back to 1923, has been described by Trump as “virtually unusable”, “outdated” and even “dangerous” for golfers. However, not all golfers agree. Many fear Trump’s project would make the course less accessible to the average golfer, as reported in the Washington Post. Regardless of the naysayers, Trump is ploughing ahead with the refurbishment of the course, which is part of a broader redevelopment programme unprecedented in Washington. “Donald Trump is planning a significant number of changes in the capital at a very rapid pace,” said Peter Finn, a political scientist and specialist in US presidential powers at the University of Greenwich. Aside from his golf project, the US president has indicated he wants to erect a triumphal arch in Washington modelled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris; he has already embarked on a controversial renovation of the reflecting pool at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial; he renamed the Kennedy Centre the Trump Kennedy Centre (a project blocked by the courts); and he wants to add a ballroom to the East Wing of the White House. Another project on the president’s wishlist involves Lafayette Park, at the entrance to the White House, which is set to welcome 47 new trees in reference to Trump as the 47th president of the United States. Read moreJudge asks why Kennedy Center covering facade after Trump's name removed Some government buildings now carry huge banners bearing the president’s image. On the facade that houses the Department of Agriculture, Trump’s portrait stands alongside that of Abraham Lincoln. Over at the Department of Labour, the president shares the limelight with Theodore Roosevelt whose portrait hangs outside the building next to Trump’s. According to Politico, Trump has also reportedly expressed interest in renaming Washington DC’s Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station in his honour. Making legacy great again “This fits perfectly with Trump’s personality – he always wants everything, right now. Washington is full of monuments and streets named in honour of past presidents, but Trump doesn’t want to wait for a possible tribute after he leaves office,” said Finn. There’s also his age to consider: Trump is now over 80. “It’s an age when one thinks above all of securing one’s legacy. For a president, this often means emphasizing one’s achievements, but Trump’s political triumphs are rather negligible, and not very substantial,” said Patrick Andelic, a specialist in the history of the American political system at Northumbria University. This would account for the rush to rename both existing monuments and expedite the revamping or building of new ones, which are worthy of securing the president’s place in history. “We mustn’t forget that the Trump Organisation – the parent company of Donald Trump’s property ventures – specialises not only in construction but also in developing the Trump brand. All the projects the president has launched in Washington fall into these two categories,” said Andelic. Read moreTrump ballroom cost soars to $600 mn, half from taxpayers: report Trump may be pushing the limits of – even surpassing – his predecessors but he is certainly not the first to want to remake Washington in his own image. “He was probably inspired by the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, which aims to have a building or site named in the president’s honour in every county in the United States,” Andelic added. This initiative to honour the legacy of the 40th US president “did not, however, seek to impose on local authorities to use the president’s name, but rather to persuade them. Trump, on the other hand, is taking a fait accompli approach and challenging anyone to oppose it. This, once again, is very much in line with the expression often attributed to some property developers, which is that ‘it is better to ask for forgiveness than for permission’", said Andelic. Natasha Lindstaedt, a specialist in authoritarian regimes at the University of Essex said his approach “resembles that of an authoritarian regime rather than that of the leader of a democratic country”. ‘Authoritarian drift’ Property developments designed to aggrandise the US leader “are a sign of a country’s authoritarian drift”, said Lindstaedt. Indeed, she added that Trump’s ambitions in Washington are not so far removed from those of leaders with authoritarian tendencies, such as “Heydar Aliyev, who had streets named after him throughout Azerbaijan, or the former president of Turkmenistan, Saparmyrat Niyazov, who established a sort of architectural cult of personality”. Lindstaedt warns that Trump’s tendency to want to have his name emblazoned on every wall in the capital should not be taken lightly. “It is an attempt to establish a cult of personality by circumventing or ignoring normal institutional rules and processes.” The way in which Trump is transforming Washington is leading American democracy “down a slippery slope”, adds Lindstaedt, who like most experts believes the president’s decisions should be challenged in a court of law. The fact that the courts ruled against the president, to have his name removed from the Kennedy Centre, “shows that constitutional procedures cannot be ignored with impunity”, noted Andelic. As these events unfold in Washington, it “demonstrates that one of Trump’s greatest frustrations is not being able to act like an authoritarian leader, because the American system is too complex and robust to allow him to act entirely as he pleases”, said Finn. The president’s plan to transform the East Potomac Golf Links course is the latest case in point. Works are set to go ahead from September, despite a federal judge having warned the White House not to proceed without first obtaining the necessary approvals. Trump has not indicated he intends to apply for them. And even with the prospect of another court battle, it seems Trump remains undeterred in his mission to rebrand Washington. This article has been translated from the original in French by Nicole Trian. [Image text:] MAKEAM GREATAC PRESIDENT TRUMPS WASHINGTON D.C. RESORT