Donald Trump‘s $5 million gold statue project just drew mixed reviews in Washington. Locals called the newly regilded horse statues tacky, while tourists loved the shine.
A costly beautification effort in the nation’s capital has finally emerged from behind the scaffolding. The freshly gilded result immediately split the people who walked past it, drawing praise from some visitors and blunt criticism from residents. The reveal landed as fresh polling showed most Americans souring on the wider makeover plans.
Donald Trump’s White House restoration project put newly regilded horse statues at the center of fresh debate
Washington residents walked past four freshly gilded bronze horses this week and did not like what they saw. WTOP-FM canvassed passersby after crews pulled the scaffolding down at Lincoln Memorial Circle. Stephen Francio pushed back hard on the look. “I don’t remember them being this shiny, this gaudy,” he told the outlet, adding, “I think there’s a better use for the funds than polishing up these horses.”
Karen, a Fort Washington, Maryland, resident identified only by her first name, went further. “Tacky. It looks like Home Depot gold spray paint,” she said.
Tourists reacted differently. Amy, visiting from Topeka, Kansas, described spotting the statues by chance. “I was walking on the backside of the (Lincoln) Memorial, and I was just like, ‘Whoa, what is that?'” she said. Her daughter Gio praised them as “really nice” and “super shiny.”
Donald Trump, 80, teed up the reveal days earlier. He posted on Truth Social on Monday, July 27, announcing the scaffolding removal and sharing photos of the new gold leaf. The horse statues renovation covered The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace, which now carry a coat of 23.75-karat gold.
NOTUS first reported the details behind the Donald Trump restoration project. The National Park Service handed a Maryland studio a $5 million contract in mid-April. Interior officials skipped competitive bidding and cited a July 4 deadline they never met, and no explanation has surfaced for the weeks-long overrun.
Public appetite for the wider White House renovation push looked thin. A Washington Post-Ipsos survey taken July 8 through July 13 found 65% of respondents dissatisfied or upset, against 32% who felt enthusiastic or satisfied. Roughly 40% chose upset outright. New York Times estimated the total cost of Trump’s plans for the White House and other landmarks at more than $1 billion.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE GOLD HORSE STATUES?
