In the midst of preparing for the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, the renovation project of the National Mall, now repainted in blue, is causing criticism and confusion even among tourists visiting the American capital.
” The city will bear the scars left by this man for a long time “: on the vast esplanade of the National Mall, in the heart of Washington, Sammy doesn’t mince his words against Donald Trump’s project to repaint the basin of this emblematic place of the American capital. The American president “puts his nose everywhere he can,” rants this young woman from the neighboring state of Virginia, who refused to give her last name. “He is so narcissistic.”
For the 250th anniversary on July 4th of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, the Republican ordered to repaint the basin in the “blue of the American flag,” this basin built in the early 1920s between the obelisk of the Washington Monument and the famous Lincoln statue. The construction, which has already started, has turned this symbol of national unity into a new subject of division in Trump’s America.
While the president’s detractors denounce corruption and megalomania, his supporters praise a leader who “puts things in order” in America. The 79-year-old former real estate developer seems obsessed with this new project, which adds to a series of controversial renovations in the American capital. Since his return to power a year ago, he has notably bulldozed an entire wing of the White House to build a ballroom. The White House has also unveiled a monumental project of an “Arc de Triomphe of the United States,” which is expected to rise over 76 meters, taller than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (50 meters high).
Context: The renovation project of the National Mall, now repainted in blue, has sparked both criticism and praise among visitors to the American capital, with opinions divided on President Trump’s ambitious plans for public spaces.
Fact Check: The cost of the project and the process followed to award the contract have raised concerns, with some questioning the transparency and efficiency of the renovation under Trump’s administration.
