Donald Trump’s reimagining of the White House could continue with a change to the iconic front facade of the main building itself, a move that would leave another permanent mark on a national landmark.
A Washington Post report claimed that a top official that Trump has placed on a committee in charge of making design recommendations to the president is set to suggest that Trump replace the White House’s iconic white columns with a different, more ornate design that favors the president’s own tastes.
The new design, called “Corinthian” models, would be less tapered, have shorter midsections, and feature more filigree at their peaks, or volutes. The style, the Post noted, can be seen in some of Trump’s properties, including Trump Tower in Manhattan.
Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the Trump-appointed chair of the Commission of Fine Arts, told the Post that he hasn’t discussed the idea with the president yet, but thought it was bizarre that the White House featured a different column style than the Capitol and U.S. Supreme Court, which both use the Corinthian style.
“Corinthian is the highest order [of column], and that’s what our other two branches of government have,” he told the newspaper, adding: “Why the White House didn’t originally use them, at least on the north front, which is considered the front door, is beyond me.”
Other design experts contacted by the Post said the meaning was intentional: To evoke a simpler, more humble style for the residence of the nation’s first family.
“It is a completely inappropriate idea and at odds with universally held historic preservation standards,” Bruce Redman Becker, a Biden appointee purged from the committee by Trump last year, told the newspaper.
Trump’s obsession with renovating the White House and putting his personal stamp on the grounds has overshadowed some parts of his second term, including some policy objectives and successes.
The plan to remove the White House’s iconic East Wing, home to the first lady’s offices, and replace it with a massive ballroom has become an object of ridicule among Trump’s political foes as Democrats have argued that the project is an expensive distraction that hurts the image of the residence itself and presents another opportunity for the president to solicit donations from wealthy supporters and those interested in his favor or attention.
Other changes to the White House have been rapid under Trump’s second term, including the sudden appearance of gold lettering and signage around the building in a style more reminiscent of his Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago properties.
The president has also used the White House to anger his political opponents by using plaques under portraits of presidents in the White House to demean past Democratic leaders.
Across D.C., the president is also beginning a costly remodel of the Kennedy Center after closing it down after artists began pulling out of performances at the center en masse in protest over Trump sticking his name on the building and ordering a reorientation of the center’s programming away from “woke” culture, typically meaning pro-LGBT content and performances from liberal artists.
