Giant, gold and garish? Trump leaves his mark on D.C.

https://i.cbc.ca/ais/c5d70100-88b6-4c83-90b1-33ef3a42c671,1776860247895/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C222%2C4259%2C2395%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29" title="White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds up an artist rendering of the new triumphal arch as she speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)" width="620" />

From a gigantic arch set to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, to the deployment of National Guard troops, to the construction of a massive White House ballroom, the face of America’s capital city is changing during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president.