Trump's DC takeover obsession gets brutal new rebuke from his own base

President Donald Trump addresses a dinner for donors who have contributed to build the new ballroom at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. John McDonnell/AP Photo

President Donald Trump's obsession with steamrolling over parts of Washington, D.C., to remake them in his own image has never been popular, but now, according to a new poll reported on by The Daily Beast, his own base has dealt those plans a sharp rebuke.

Digging into the latest findings from a Reuters/Ipsos poll, The Daily Beast on Sunday noted that Trump's "deeply unpopular" construction and renovation projects are not seeing any turnaround in popularity, even among his own Republican voters, a majority of whom now find the projects unnecessary and think that the president should have different priorities.

"A Reuters/Ipsos report published in the days after the Republican Party’s crushing midterm defeat showed that Trump’s approval remained stuck at a near-historic low of just 32 percent, while earlier surveys found his pet projects were also deeply unpopular," the outlet explained. "Sixty-seven percent of Americans said making new and renovated D.C. monuments a priority was either inappropriate or a low priority. In even worse news for the legacy-obsessed Trump, 50 percent of Republicans felt the same way."

The report continued: "Since regaining the White House in 2025, Trump has moved aggressively to remake the building and its surroundings in his image. His gigantic new ballroom, under construction where the East Wing of the White House once stood, is perhaps the most visible of the 'improvements' Trump has undertaken. However, his attempts to add his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have been repeatedly stalled by the courts, and the dispute has led the Trump-friendly board to close the venue for years for a $257 million renovation. Trump’s desire to see his own name above Kennedy’s is particularly unpopular, even among his own supporters. Fifty-three percent of Republicans said Trump shouldn’t add his name to the Kennedy Center, and 64 percent said it’s wrong for the president to “withhold funds” from the center until he gets his way."

Trump's other projects around the nation's capital have included an attempt to repaint the lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue, which immediately turned into a disaster over the summer when the new lining started to peel off, and the change to the pool's design caused explosive algae growth. He is also bent on installing an enormous "triumphal" arch near Arlington Cemetery, which critics have warned would disrupt the city's skyline and cast new shadows over the graves of veterans in a disrespectful manner.

Despite the consistent unpopularity, Trump has remained more fixated on them than almost any of his actual responsibilities as president, particularly in light of the GOP's wipeout loss in the midterms.

"In the days since the Republicans’ crushing midterm defeat, Trump has sought refuge in his renovations," The Daily Beast detailed. "Critics have accused him of fixating on his Washington makeover projects while Americans grapple with rising living costs, including those driven by his ongoing war with Iran. Just two days after the election, he issued an executive order he said would prevent future occupants from making any changes to his gaudy new additions to the Oval Office.

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