Trump creating 'grandiose' monuments to himself because he can't 'get to heaven': analysis

Although President Donald Trump maintains a strong bond with the most severe part of Christianity — far-right white fundamentalist evangelicals and Christian nationalists — he has been joking about the afterlife quite a bit recently and remarking that he doesn't think his chances of getting into heaven are good. Trump, during an August appearance on Fox News' "Fox & Friends," remarked, "I want to try and get to heaven, if possible. I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole."

The New York Times' Peter Baker, in an article published on October 30, stresses that Trump's heaven comments are coming at a time when he is determined to create as many monuments to himself as possible.

"Mr. Trump is hardly the first 79-year-old to dwell on what may come after he departs this mortal coil — or to wonder whether he has earned entry into the pearly gates," Baker reports. "But it is so unlike Mr. Trump to express self-doubt that his public rumination has raised questions. What is on his mind lately that makes him fear his fate in the hereafter? What sins might he be regretting? He has not clarified his thinking, at least not on camera. Nor, for that matter, has he shown any public signs of repentance for scandals that he may believe hold him back from grace. And yet, the president's curious contemplation comes at a time when Mr. Trump seems to be seeking a form of immortality."

Baker adds, "If absolution is out of reach, perhaps there are more achievable ways of living beyond his natural time on this earth."

For many years, Trump has been naming office buildings, hotels, casinos and golf courses after himself. But in 2025, Baker observes, Trump "seems intent on leaving his mark in even more grandiose fashion."

"He demolished the East Wing of the White House last week to make way for a vast, gilded Trumpian ballroom," Baker observes. "He wants to erect an arch at the entrance to Washington that resembles Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe. He is even considering having the government issue a new $1 coin with his own face on it — something no president has done in nearly a century…. Presumably, none of that would provide a speed pass to paradise, but it might help satisfy Mr. Trump's craving for glory that will outlast his time in office."

Baker continues, "As it is, his on-again, off-again flirtation with the idea of running for an unconstitutional third term makes clear his reluctance to cede the stage. All presidents want to leave a legacy once they do depart, historical and often physical — see (former President) Barack Obama's new towering presidential library rising in Chicago, called the 'Obamalisk.' But none in modern times have gone to the lengths that Mr. Trump has to put his personal stamp on national landmarks."