Gift article: The Capital is a Mess: Chain-link fences, construction cranes, armed guards, and portable toilets everywh

[riversedge]

The Capital is a Mess:

Chain-link fences, construction cranes, armed guards, and portable toilets


..................Donald Trump has often prided himself on being a builder of grand things. He laid out an expansive vision for Washington, including a gargantuan new triumphal arch in a traffic circle that leads to Arlington National Cemetery. He aggressively took over the 250th celebrations in Washington, redirecting tens of millions of dollars to glam up the tired capital. But so far, he has done more demolition and renovation than construction.

“It’s as if there were a natural disaster, and we’re looking at the damage after a hurricane. Or think of Manhattan after the World Trade Center was hit by an act of terrorism,” Charles A. Birnbaum, the president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, told me. “If you were just to parachute into Washington, you’d say: Gosh, what happened here?”




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The Reflecting Pool is a murky shade of green, despite a multimillion-dollar renovation to repaint it American-flag blue and mitigate its algae problem. It is now surrounded by fencing and ominous signs that read DANGER EXPLOSIVES and show a bomb being detonated. Ducks that died in the water are being tested.

The National Mall seems to be wrapped in a variety of fencing, some of it in place for construction reasons, some of it to create a security gantlet for the July 4 celebration. At East Potomac Golf Links, at nearby Hains Point, is a massive pile of dirt that some golfers have dubbed “Mount Trump,” taken from the East Wing debris in preparation for a golf-course redo. The Federal Reserve is under construction, as are various roads and bridges, and the Kennedy Center is allegedly in disrepair—and now has an odd contraption of scaffolding and flame-retardant tarps covering its signage at the main entrance like a giant Band-Aid. There are construction cranes, National Guard troops, and portable restrooms everywhere....................


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https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/hICrEAtCbZf8puPwAZT1Du5-pDs=/0x0:4000x2667/1536x1025/media/img/posts/2026/07/2026_07_01_Trump_Transformed_Washington...Into_a_Dirty_Construction_Site_5/original.jpg

Visitors look at the White House from behind fencing in Lafayette Square on June 25.



https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/w6G9YF3MIzHYChoZLGTyazvWQm4=/0x0:4000x2667/1536x1025/media/img/posts/2026/07/2026_07_01_Trump_Transformed_Washington...Into_a_Dirty_Construction_Site_2/original.jpg
Construction materials sit near the Lincoln Memorial on June 25.

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[MyOwnPeace]

1. Oh, don't be so fussy........

Just put a little gold glitter on those fences and port-o-Dons and all would be fine!