{"id":2091,"date":"2026-05-12T17:25:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/?p=2091"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:25:46","slug":"trump-wants-to-change-another-historic-landmark-and-its-not-gone-down-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/?p=2091","title":{"rendered":"Trump wants to change another historic landmark and it\u2019s not gone down well"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nSusan Eisenhower has urged officials not to rush the controversial White House-adjacent makeover
\n<\/strong>Donald Trump is once again making efforts to put his own stamp on Washington DC, and his latest plan has already sparked a wave of criticism.
\nSince returning to the White House, The POTUS has been linked to a string of changes around the US capital, from major work on the White House grounds to wider plans intended to make the city look more impressive \u2014 or even altering certain American passports.
\nSupporters have framed the projects as part of an effort to restore pride and beauty to America\u2019s most famous political landmarks, yet not everyone is convinced.
\nIn reality, this latest proposed makeover has gone down particularly badly with preservationists, architects, and historians, who say it could cause permanent damage to a building that has stood for well over a century.<\/p>\n

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\nThe historic landmark in question is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits right next to the White House, and Trump wants to paint the 19th-century building white.
\nAt the moment, though the building is known for its grey granite exterior, Trump has previously made it very clear that he is not exactly a fan of the colour, calling it a \u2018really bad color\u2019, as reported by outlets like AP News.
\nAs noted by The Washington Post, he also said: \u201cGray is for funerals,\u201d adding: \u201cLook at it, how beautiful that is with a coat of paint.\u201d
\nThe building opened in 1888 after 17 years of construction and is a National Historic Landmark, as well as being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
\nAs per the White House, the proposed paint job could cost taxpayers at least $7.5 million. That figure is only for the exterior work, meaning it does not include future maintenance costs.
\nOfficials have reportedly put forward two options for the makeover. One would see the entire granite exterior painted white, while the other would paint most of the building but leave the granite base untouched.<\/p>\n

The full white version is believed to be the preferred option.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Nevertheless, experts have warned that painting granite is not as simple as giving a wall a fresh coat before guests come over.
\nThose against the plan argue that paint could trap moisture, damage the stone, and permanently alter the historic landmark.<\/p>\n

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Priya Jain, of the Society of Architectural Historians, said: \u201cPainting the granite facade of the building white will adversely and permanently alter this important landmark, and should be rejected.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The National Capital Planning Commission has not approved the proposal. Instead, it has asked the White House to provide more information about the paint, testing, removal, long-term maintenance, and possible alternatives.<\/p>\n

Ryan Erb, the construction operations and facilities manager in the White House Office of Administration, said testing is still ongoing.<\/p>\n

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He told commissioners: \u201cUnfortunately, we can\u2019t rush that process,\u201d adding: \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get all the data first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, has also urged caution.<\/p>\n

In an essay, she wrote: \u201cThere is no need to rush to paint it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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She added: \u201cThe building positively sparkles.\u201d<\/p>\n

A White House spokesperson defended Trump\u2019s wider plans, saying: \u201cPresident Trump continues to beautify the White House and our Nation\u2019s Capital and is giving it the glory it deserves \u2014 something everyone should celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Susan Eisenhower has urged officials not to rush the controversial White House-adjacent makeover Donald Trump is once again making efforts to put his own stamp on Washington DC, and his … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18],"class_list":["post-2091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-story","tag-aita","tag-diamond-ring","tag-diamonds","tag-engagement","tag-engagement-ring","tag-fiance","tag-fiancee","tag-lab-grown-diamonds","tag-photo","tag-picture","tag-reddit","tag-relationships","tag-top","tag-wedding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2091"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2093,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091\/revisions\/2093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}