President Trump’s vanity projects in our nation’s capital remind me of Oscar Wilde’s novel, “The Picture of Dorian Grey. In Wilde’s cautionary tale, the anti-hero trades his soul to appear forever young while only his portrait reflects his physical and moral corruption.
Donald Trump’s artistic aspirations seem to betray a similar deal. The President considers himself a master artist. And his constant reference to “Trump” in the third person suggests that he thinks of the Trump brand as a self-created work of art. In his own words, he considers himself a “very aesthetic person,” often describes himself as “a builder”; and describes his business and political negotiations as “the art of the deal.”
Just as Dorian Grey’s corrupt inner life is reflected in his deteriorating portrait, we can see President Trump’s soul reflected in his capital beautification projects. He’s paved over the iconic White House Rose Garden with a signature Mar a Lago patio. He slapped his name on the Kennedy Center before closing it down for “renovation.” He destroyed the historic East Wing to construct a monstrous ballroom that will make the White House look like a doll’s house.
His plan for a faux Arc De Triomphe dwarfs The Lincoln Memorial and interrupts its mournful sightline upon Arlington Cemetery. And his recent renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool reflects less the monuments and ideals of President Washington and Lincoln, and more Trump’s narcissistic character.
Though Trump brags about being “a very aesthetic person,” and “a builder,” each of his “projects” prove destructive to our nation’s history, character, and beauty. Like Dorian Grey’s monstrous portrait, Trump’s “art” reveals his immoral character.
In the case of the reflecting pool, Trump initially boasted, “[W]e’re going to be able to do it for about 1.8 million, and it’s going to take one week.” Instead, he spent over $14 million of taxpayers’ money. Rather than putting the project out to competitive bidding, Trump awarded the contract to John J. Carfiro, a Trump donor and Mar-a- Lago neighbor, who was once involved in a bribery scandal. The predictably shoddy results include several leaks, floating strips of paint, and a green algae coating that poetically occludes transparency. Further, Trump denies his responsibility for this sordid mess, blaming non-existent vandals.
Now, for unknown additional costs to taxpayers, the pool requires a literal draining of what ironically amounts to the metaphorical swamp Trump initially claimed he would drain. In other words, the truth of Trump’s immoral character is now reflected in his art of destruction.
This “art” is also embodied in his destructive policies, like the failed economic tariffs, the catastrophic war against Iran, the rifts with our allies, the rising deficit, ICE attacks upon immigrants, and a Justice Department weaponized against his political enemies: the “art” of his deals “reflect” Trump’s monumental vanity and corruption.
And now on our nation’s 250 Anniversary, as the Lincoln Memorial broods over the reflecting pool, reminding us to rededicate ourselves to the principles and ideals for which our democracy was founded; instead a polluted pool, like Dorian Grey’s portrait, reflects the corruption of those ideals by the self-proclaimed “Number One Attraction anywhere in the World,” celebrating himself in a damning portrait of our democracy.
Thomas Cangelosi is a retired teacher from Avon.
