A large banner featuring U.S. President Donald Trump hangs on the Department of Labor building in Washington, D.C., U.S., in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
In parts of the United States where President Donald Trump's hardcore MAGA base is especially strong — including rural areas of deep red states like Idaho, West Virginia, Montana, Alabama and Arkansas — many residents welcome images of him. But Washington, D.C. is another matter.
Like other Northeastern Corridor cities — New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Hartford — Washington is overwhelmingly Democratic. And according to CNN reporter Camila DeChalus, Democrats are complaining about large banners showing Trump's face on three federal government buildings.
DeChalus, in an article published on September 20, reports, "The controversy underscores deepening tensions in Washington over the extent of Trump's use of executive power. The banners in question have large portraits of the sitting president with the caption 'American Workers First'…. The Department of Labor confirmed it spentroughly $6000 on the banners andnoted that they were created in conjunction with Labor Day and the department's America250 celebrations."
DeChalus adds, "The Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human services did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment."
The banners are generating a lot of comments on X, formerly Twitter.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) tweeted, "This is not only a waste of taxpayer dollars. It's also an authoritarian tactic. Dictators from Stalin to Saddam plastered their images on government buildings to demonstrate power. Now, the Trump Administration is doing the same in Washington."
Schiff also wrote, "Democracy doesn't disappear overnight — it is vanishes day by day, one lawless act after another. Oversized portraits on government buildings may look like vanity. But they are also a warning. We must take it seriously."
X user Pramod Sharma wrote, "These grotesque Trump banners on federal buildings, like the Dept of Labor eyesore, reek of dictator vibes — straight out of Stalin's playbook! They scream illegal under the Smith-Mundt Act, banning domestic propaganda. Trump's wasting our tax dollars to stroke his ego while crushing workers' rights — disgraceful! Your thread better expose this tyrant's sham. #Trump #Propaganda."
The L.A. Unity Project posted, "LA Unity Project - Shantel Daniels @LAUnityProject Sep 18 Why are giant Trump banners popping up across DC, the same tactic dictators use worldwide? Who’s paying? Not Trump. Not billionaires. Taxpayers. Congress banned propaganda with public money in 1951. Schiff’s new report shows Trump ignored the law, $50,000+ in banners that glorify him, not inform the public."
Read the full CNN article at this link.