Trump Unveils Bold New Gold Sculptures In D.C. Overhaul

Donald Trump has continued this campaign to remake Washington in his image, including many gold arches and statues. Now, the president has unveiled the newly restored Arts of War and the Arts of Peace statues.

Per Newsweek, the president has shared updates on the statues.

Taking down the scaffolding around the regilded Arts of War sculptures!

( TS: Jul 27 2026, 7:30 PM ET )​​​​​​​​‍‌​​​‌​‍​‌​​​‍‌‍​‍‌​​‌‌‍​‌​‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌ pic.twitter.com/wDiW5KSLQC

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) July 27, 2026

“The president’s other major construction projects include remodeling parts of the White House, a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch along the Potomac River, the renovation of one of D.C.’s historic public golf courses and ongoing plans for a statue garden to honor figures from American history,” Newsweek reported.

However, the statue project has been controversial for how the contracts were doled out.

NOTUS reported in May that the Department of the Interior was spending $5 million to “coat horse statues in gold.”

Scaffolding is coming off the statues near the Lincoln Memorial. The Arts of War statues have been regilded as part of a $5 million no-bid contract meant to restore them in time for Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/nkTzbPWgs4

— Matt Viser (@mviser) July 28, 2026

“As Trump hurries to put his stamp on a city he’s long denigrated as crumbling and ugly, his administration has doled out tens of millions of dollars for contracts with short timelines and little oversight,” that NOTUS report said.

“In total, the Interior Department is spending at least $95 million in taxpayer funds for new D.C. beautification projects, according to a NOTUS review of government spending data. All of the projects identified by NOTUS were initiated between December 2025 and April of this year,” the report said. “About $20 million in contracts, including the gilding of the four horses, have not previously been reported.”

“It is within the realm of reason to say: It’s the 250th anniversary that’s coming up, and instead of spending a hundred million dollars we normally spend on the District of Columbia, we want to spend $250 million. That’s perfectly normal,”  one former General Services Administration official, told the outlet “What is not normal is the lack of transparency.”

Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.