Donald Trump unexpectedly agreed with Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff after the Georgia lawmaker criticized the president for creating monuments tied to himself.
Trump addressed Ossoff’s remarks during a New York magazine interview published Sept. 4. The exchange came as Trump continued several White House renovations and other construction projects around Washington, D.C.
Donald Trump agreed with Jon Ossoff’s criticism about building his own monuments
Ossoff had previously argued that Trump built his own monuments because nobody else would create them for him after he left office.
When New York magazine raised the Jon Ossoff Trump criticism, Trump gave a brief but surprising response.
“That’s true,” Trump said.
He then expanded on why he agreed.
“Nobody will do it once I’m gone. When I leave here, nobody will,” he added.
The unusual agreement came despite the broader Jon Ossoff feud with Trump.
Trump’s administration had pursued several construction and renovation projects in Washington after his return to the White House in January 2025. One of the most prominent Trump monuments involved a planned triumphal arch near Memorial Circle, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on X on Sept. 3 that crews had started excavation work for the project. When someone previously asked Trump who the planned arch would honor, he answered, “Me.”
Trump had also focused heavily on an $800 million White House ballroom project. He previously said private contributions would cover the construction costs and maintained that taxpayers would not finance the East Wing work. However, New York reported that taxpayers could ultimately cover more than half of the ballroom’s cost.
The president also expressed support for placing his name on the ballroom.
“It should,” Trump said when asked whether the venue should carry his name. “I don’t know if it will, but it should.”
Trump had previously added his name alongside President John F. Kennedy’s at the Kennedy Center following a board vote in December 2025. A federal judge later ordered officials to remove Trump’s name.
The Supreme Court also allowed construction on Trump’s ballroom project to continue on Aug. 31 after a lower court had temporarily halted the work.
Despite his political differences with Ossoff, Trump ultimately agreed with the senator’s central observation: he did not expect others to create these tributes after his presidency.
