Mr. President, you’re here in the middle of the war in Iran. Why are you focusing on all these projects right now?” Rachel Scott from ABC asked the President.
“You know why?
Because I want to keep our country beautiful and safe,” Trump replied sharply. “Beautiful also. This place was a disgusting place… It was the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and we had uh— Uh— A terrible…”
“I don’t know.
You probably don’t see dirt, but I do. And you walk down this pond. If you would have walked down, they’ll tell you better than anybody…” he continued. “They had to take eleven or twelve truckloads of garbage out of that lake, out of that water, and it sat there for years like that. And that’s not what our country’s about. Our country’s about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people, not a filthy capital.”
“What is the status of—” Scott attempted.
“It’s such a stupid question you ask,” said Trump.
“We’re fixing up. The Reflecting Pond to the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and you say, why are you fixing it up? Because you can understand dirt maybe better than I can, but I don’t allow it.”
“This is one of the worst reporters,” he went on, clearly angry. “
She’s with ABC Fake News, and she’s a horror show. She’s saying, why would you bother fixing this up? Why would I bother taking eleven or twelve truckloads of filth out of the water in front of the Lincoln Monument?”
“That’s what made our country great,” he added. “
Beauty made our country. People made our country great. A question like that is a disgrace to our country. Any other questions? Fake News.”
Even by Trumpian standards, this was an insane outburst.
Clearly, Scott struck a nerve because on some level Trump knows how deeply unpopular his D.C. “renovations” are with the American people.
As for Scott’s question, the reason that Trump is focused on his “projects” instead of his disastrous Iran War and its rippling effects is because actual governance bores him.
He lacks the intelligence, patience, and attention span to do the hard work of the presidency. Building and renovations are something that his simple mind can understand — even if his aesthetic tastes are awful.
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