Agencies have hung enormous portraits of President Donald Trump outside their buildings. The Treasury Department is preparing to mint a commemorative coin that shows Trump raising a heroic fist. The president is planning a triumphal arch across from the Lincoln Memorial for America’s 250th birthday.
Trump has also added 24-karat golden adornments to the Oval Office, giving it a palatial feel. He has arranged to receive a luxurious Boeing jetliner from Qatar. He has ordered thicker paper, decorated with gold, for the letters he writes to military officers who are becoming generals.
Trump’s aggressive moves to accumulate political power — deploying National Guard troops, invoking massive tariffs — have prompted protests and lawsuits as well as plaudits. But he is also asserting his power through what might be called an imperial aesthetic: surrounding his presidency with visual cues designed to project personal command and grandeur.
“What it’s intended to convey is a kind of martial strength, the kind of presence of power that you see a lot of dictators around the world wanting to project,” said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California). “The gold ornate style, the imposing portraiture, the military parades, the physical depiction on currency — this is what you see from state-run authoritarian regimes.”
Most recently and starkly, construction has begun on a 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom that will be almost as large as the rest of the White House complex, creating a monumental structure that, Trump’s supporters hope, will be associated with his presidency long after he has left office.
In recent days, Trump’s aspirations to an imperial aura have become even more literal. When large crowds turned out for a “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, Trump responded with an AI-generated video of himself wearing a crown, piloting a plane with “King Trump” inscribed on the side and dumping what appeared to be feces on protesters.
From 24-karat gold to golden trophies, President Donald Trump has routinely talked about his admiration of gold in his second term. (Video: JM Rieger/The Washington Post, Photo: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
The penchant for the gold and grand has not been lost on those seeking Trump’s favor. South Korean leaders on Wednesday gave the president a replica of a historic golden crown, saying it symbolized peace and unity. Apple CEO Tim Cook in August gifted the president a glass plaque with a 24-karat gold base.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement that Trump’s changes will benefit all Americans.
“This is not an imperial aesthetic, this is an American aesthetic,” Cheung said.
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