President Donald Trump has admitted in an interview with New York Magazine that he is putting his name on various projects across Washington, D.C., because he knows no one else will do so after he leaves office. He stated "That's true... Nobody will do it once I'm gone." The president is involved in several high-profile construction projects, including a $90,000-square-foot ballroom and military installation at the White House grounds. Designs for the project feature gold-stuffed interiors and golden marble floors.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
President Donald Trump's focus on personal projects and legacy initiatives is drawing criticism from some Republicans, according to Washington Examiner executive editor Bob Cusack. Cusack said that Trump is spending too much time and resources on projects such as constructing a new White House ballroom, renovating D.C. golf courses, and considering changes to NFL kickoff rules, rather than addressing the concerns of voters. In particular, Cusack noted that the ongoing war with Iran is top of mind for many Americans and may hurt the Republican Party's chances in the midterm elections.
Meanwhile, Trump has acknowledged to New York Magazine that he is putting his name on various projects across D.C. because he knows others will not do so after he leaves office. He told reporter Ben Terris that "nobody will" put their name on these projects once he's gone. This admission comes as the president faces criticism and lawsuits over his efforts to rename landmarks, overhaul golf courses, and renovate buildings in D.C. with a distinctly Trump-like signature.
The Iran war is expected to be a major concern for voters in the midterm elections, with Cusack noting that there's "no end in sight" to the conflict. The first-ever Republican Party 2026 midterm convention is being held on September 9-10 in Dallas, Texas, but it remains to be seen how Trump's focus on personal projects will affect his party's chances.
Written for “Trump's Legacy Concerns” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Donald Trump is hoping a massive ballroom and military installation on the White House grounds will one day bear his name as he speedruns through several multi-million dollar construction projects across the nation’s capital to secure his presidential legacy.
asserted
he → hop → legacy
He recently admitted to New York Magazine’s Ben Terris that he is slapping his name on things because he knows nobody else will after he’s “gone.”
asserted
he → admit → things
Trump conceded that Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who remarked earlier this year that the president appears to be building monuments to himself because no one else wants to, may be right.
uncertain
one → concede → himself
“That’s true,” Trump told Terris.
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Trump → ’ → Terris
“Nobody will do it once I’m gone.
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I → do → it
When I leave here, nobody will.”
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nobody → leave → ?
The president’s remarkably candid comments to the magazine follow an unprecedented blitz across Washington, D.C., to either put his name or leave an unmistakably Trump-like imprint on buildings, monuments and other landmarks before the former real-estate mogul leaves the White House.
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mogul → follow → House
The president is embroiled in several lawsuits against his efforts to remake D.C., including renaming the Kennedy Center and its campus after him, overhauling the capital’s beloved golf course and renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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president → embroil → Pool
Trump also is planning to build his own version of the Arc de Triomphe to tower over the capital, and his face is printed on massive banners hanging from federal buildings, including the Department of Justice headquarters.
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face → plan → headquarters
The Department of State also created a commemorative “Patriot Passport” featuring an image of a scowling Trump leaning on his fists while standing in front of the Constitution, and the U.S. Mint is now circulating a commemorative $1 coin with his face on it.
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Mint → create → it
He’s also naming his policy achievements after himself — there are “Trump Accounts,” “TrumpRx,” and a “Trump Gold Card” that offers a fast-track to legal residency in the U.S. for the price of $1 million.
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that → name → million
The U.S. military is also developing a line of “Trump-class” battleships as well as the USS Donald J. Trump aircraft carrier.
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military → develop → battleships
But his biggest and most-expensive project yet is the transformation of what was once the East Wing of the White House into a gold-filled, bullet-proof ballroom sandwiched between a “military complex” that includes a sprawling underground bunker and with a “drone port” roof.
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that → fill → roof
Recently revealed designs for the project show plans for an ornate, gold-stuffed interior with golden marble floors and a chandelier, as well as gold finishes on the exterior that were not previously included in plans approved by federal agencies earlier this year.
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that → reveal → agencies
The Supreme Court has allowed the president to continue construction while federal judges — and even Chief Justice John Roberts — question the legality of the entire project after the administration destroyed the East Wing to make way for a 90,000-square-foot facility that officials say is vital to national security and the president’s safety.
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officials → allow → security
Trump told New York Magazine that he hopes his name is on it.
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name → tell → it
“It should,” he said.
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he → say → ?
“I don’t know if it will, but it should.”
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it → know → ?
A senior administration official told the magazine that “his rush to get it done in this term is so important because it’s something the Democrats would have a hard time taking away or getting rid of.”
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Democrats → tell → time
“When the ballroom is built, everyone will always know in perpetuity that it was built by Donald Trump,” the person said.
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person → build → Trump
“Are Democrats going to come in and rip it down?
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Democrats → go → it
I have a hard time believing that.”
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I → have → that
Trump said he doesn’t believe it can even be physically torn down — a point of argument brought by preservationists who have tried, and failed, to stop him in court from further construction.
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who → say → construction
Materials for the project are intended to be nuclear-blast resistant.
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Materials → intend → project
“I don’t think they could, physically,” Trump told the magazine of potential efforts in the future to tear it down.
uncertain
Trump → think → it
“It’s made with the most powerful steel welded together and concrete that is so hard and so strong it’s used in nuclear-power plants,” he added.
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he → make → plants
“You could take a jackhammer and go to those columns and stand there for two days at full blast and you wouldn’t even see a mark.
uncertain
you → take → mark
It’s nuclear concrete.
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It → ’ → ?
I think it would be very hard.
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it → think → ?
It’s meant for if there’s a nuclear attack.
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It → mean → ?
I’m not sure you could take it down.”
uncertain
you → ’m → it
Trump also appears to be more focused not just on his legacy — as he faces the likelihood of impeachment proceedings and investigations in his remaining years in office — but his mortality, as the 80-year-old president prepares for a second half of his administration as the oldest one ever.
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president → appear → one
The president appears to have grown more introspective and openly discussed the end of his life following a series of alleged assassination attempts.
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president → appear → attempts
He has even mused publicly about whether he will go to heaven.
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he → muse → heaven
“I want to try and get to heaven, if possible,” Trump told Fox & Friends last year as he discussed ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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he → want → Ukraine
“I’m hearing I’m not doing well.
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I → hear → ?
I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole.
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I → ’m → pole
But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
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this → get → reasons
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