DISCLAIMER: This article was first published on July 3, 2025
The Great American State Fair, Trump’s 16-day showcase of American greatness marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, opened last week with a miniature replica of the planned triumphal arch serving as its centerpiece.
The arch, unfortunately, did not share Trump’s confidence.
The vinyl sheeting stapled over the wooden frame had begun to wrinkle, separate, and peel away in the Washington summer heat. Organizers responded on Tuesday by adding new Corinthian-style columns and decorative molding to the exterior.
By Wednesday, online photos and videos painted an even worse picture, with deep cracks running through the new molding as yellow polyurethane expanding foam oozed from the gaps and dripped down the structure in the summer heat.
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“When you want a triumphal arch for the 250th celebration, but you order it on Temu,” one user weighed in.
When you want a triumphal arch for the 250th celebration, but you order it on Temu… pic.twitter.com/ODjNPi23WA
— Phil Magness (@PhilWMagness) June 28, 2026
It only got worse from there.
What does over $100K taxpayer money* for Trump’s mock up arch for the Great American State Fair get you?
*does not include the duct tape and superglue. pic.twitter.com/ROmKo7dPCi— BigBlueWaveUSA2026® 🇺🇸🌊🇺🇦 (@BigBlueWaveUSA) June 28, 2026
Caulk is visibly oozing from the columns of the false “Arc de Trump” on display at the Great American State Fair pic.twitter.com/jBekraVZcM
— FactPost (@factpostnews) July 1, 2026
What a perfect representation of the Trump administration. Cheap, fake, shoddy, negligent, transitory, and utter garbage.
— BunchaSheeple (@BunchaSheeple) July 1, 2026
OMG! Looks like pieces are going to start falling off of it. Tacky and shoddy work from every angle. Also, dangerous, IMO.
— Retta Lewis (@JHDeveraux) July 3, 2026
Not everyone joined the pile-on. One Trump supporter pushed back with characteristic patience: “It’s a freaking mock up you moron and it’s been out in the weather. You libs are the most miserable people on the planet.”
It’s a freaking mock up you moron and it’s been out in the weather. You libs are the most miserable people on the planet
— 🇺🇸Outlandish Patriot🇺🇸 (@OPNewsNetwork) June 29, 2026
Former CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta also shared video of the structure on Monday, calling out its “shoddy construction,” giving critics even more to talk about.
Shoddy displays and tiny crowds. But lots of Trump worship. Sad. My report from Trump’s Great American State Fair down on the National Mall. pic.twitter.com/IfUpNMZMVY
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 29, 2026
The White House had little interest in responding to the backlash.
A spokesperson for the president said that “Dumocrats are opposed to anything that celebrates the greatness of our Country because they are America Last losers,” adding that Trump’s arch will be “one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world.”
Featured image via X screengrab
