{"id":1974,"date":"2026-06-20T12:06:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1974"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:06:24","slug":"like-were-under-occupation-tourists-aghast-at-trumps-ugliest-obsession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1974","title":{"rendered":"‘Like we\u2019re under occupation’: Tourists aghast at Trump\u2019s ugliest obsession"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Visitors touring Washington D.C. cannot seem to shake off the feeling that President Donald Trump is stamping his presence on every nook and crevice \u2014 and they\u2019re furious.<\/p>\n

Read more Conservatives have a thing for addiction: study<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking with city visitors Julie and husband Robert on the edge of Lafayette Square, the Guardian noted a scuffed sign proclaiming: \u201cWe are making DC safe and beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Julie didn\u2019t see it that way while visiting the city in celebration of her recent marriage, said the Guardian.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe irony,\u201d she said, spying the chain-link fence surrounded the square, closing the site off from the public for renovation under the Trump\u2019s orders. \u201cIt\u2019s neither safe, nor beautiful.\u201d\\<\/p>\n

Local preservationists say Julie\u2019s \u201cwithering verdict is widely shared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a different city right now,\u201d said Rebecca Miller, executive director of the DC Preservation League, a city heritage group. \u201cThere are visitors from out of town who are disappointed that they\u2019re only here for a few days, and there\u2019s so much construction going on at the moment. \u2026 This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for some people, and to have it marred down with not being able to access certain sites can be really disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump ordered the East Wing of the White House demolished to make way for a massive ballroom, leaving a $600 million bill and a colossal gash in the dirt where once sat a pristine wing occupied by First Ladies advocating for women\u2019s and minority rights, as well as national preservation projects, among other noble ventures.<\/p>\n

The administration also commissioned a laughable \u201crestoration\u201d of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on the National Mall. By Saturday the \u201cwaterproof\u201d American Flag Blue-tinted sealant was peeling up in huge blue mats of floating plastic and being collected by tourists as souvenirs of Trump-style efficiency.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s bullying strategy crumbles as he abandons his brand<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s no-bid renovation for the project cost taxpayers more than $14 million\u2014about seven times the cost of a competitor\u2019s estimate.<\/p>\n

Impenetrable construction barriers and cranes scratch the rest of the local tourist scenery with dozens of Trump-related projects underway, complete with dust, steel beams and overturned lumps of deep gray dirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cScenes of visitors like Robert and Julie squinting for a better view have become commonplace,\u201d as Trump micromanages city construction in connection to his personal birthday and the birthday of the nation, said the Guardian.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that I\u2019ve seen is to honor Donald Trump, not America\u2019s 250th anniversary,\u201d said Robert, a retired US history professor at a private college in Brooklyn. \u201c \u2026 \u201cWe have the irony of a man who has the instincts of an absolute monarch presiding over the celebration of our separation from a constitutional monarch. It\u2019s quite something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here many times before, and I have never imagined that I would be so completely locked out of everything,\u201d said Angie Clark, a molecular biologist from Salt Lake City. \u201cIt feels exclusive, and not in a good way. Maybe once the party starts up, it will be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so symbolic of what he\u2019s doing to the country. It\u2019s like he\u2019s s\u2014\u2014 all over our nation\u2019s capital,\u201d said Tampa author Norma Roth, spying a line of nearby ugly Porta Potties connected to Trump\u2019s June 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) game. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s like we are under occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Kansas Republicans have a \u2018coordinated\u2019 plan to cancel their 2026 US Senate election<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Visitors touring Washington D.C. cannot seem to shake off the feeling that President Donald Trump is stamping his presence on every nook and crevice \u2014 and they\u2019re furious.Speaking with city visitors Julie and husband Robert on the edge of Lafayette Square, the Guardian noted a scuffed sign proclaimi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n'Like we\u2019re under occupation': Tourists aghast at Trump\u2019s ugliest obsession - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1974\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Like we\u2019re under occupation': Tourists aghast at Trump\u2019s ugliest obsession - 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