After returning from China, Trump first repaired his garden
Upon returning from China, was the first thing Trump did to renovate his garden?
After concluding his visit to China, on the 15th, Trump posted multiple social media messages calling for large-scale construction projects. One tweet claimed that the U.S. "should have a banquet hall like China’s," with the White House's new banquet hall scheduled to open around September 2028.
In another post, Trump stated his intention to designate West Potomac Park as the site for the "National Heroes Garden"—a park featuring approximately 250 statues of American "heroes," along with gardens, plazas, dining facilities, and an outdoor theater.
However, the progress of these grand plans has far from been smooth. Take the White House banquet hall, for example: its construction cost has soared from the initially promised $200 million to nearly $400 million.
Even more controversial is the Senate Republicans’ push to allocate $1 billion to the Secret Service, with part of the funds possibly being used to upgrade security at this banquet hall—directly contradicting Trump’s previous pledge that "no taxpayer dollars would be used."
Similarly, the renovation project of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is also facing serious challenges. To prepare for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, Trump wanted a fast and low-cost overhaul of this long-standing leaky pool, plagued by algae growth. He personally selected a contractor who had previously served his golf course swimming pool to paint it in "American flag blue."
Yet, the current project cost has surged from the originally claimed $1.8 million to $13.1 million, and the Department of the Interior recently added another $6.2 million. Despite this, core issues such as pipe leaks remain unresolved, and concerns about construction quality have emerged.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865343784817664/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.