The Time Will Come to Tear Down the Monuments Trump Has Built for Himself

The Time Will Come to Tear Down the Monuments Trump Has Built for Himself frames President Donald Trump’s European trip and Versailles dinner as part of a broader push for high-profile public architecture. The essay references Trump’s June 17 dinner at the Palace of Versailles, where he praised the setting and said it was the “real deal.” It argues that, beyond temporary events like parades, buildings and monuments can endure and shape democratic culture. The piece calls on Congress to resist using public funds for what it characterizes as private ambitions and to hold accountable officials who facilitate them. It compares Trump’s style with earlier U.S. traditions: it recounts that George Washington rejected plans that included a statue of himself, while the Lincoln Memorial took decades to complete after Abraham Lincoln’s death. The article positions these precedents as cautionary context for how America may need to address commemorative decisions.