Lower thirds:

00:01 Misha Komadovsky / DW Correspondent, Washington D.C.
01:10 Mark / DC resident
01:15 Tracey / DC resident
02:26 Gloria / DC resident

Script:

Is US President Trump beautifying Washington or turning it into Trump Town?

From Day 1 of his second term, Trump has been putting his mark on the US capital — his name, his face, his aesthetic — in granite, gold, and oversized portraits. Even here at the Department of Justice, an institution that is traditionally independent from the presidency.

It started with the White House: the Rose Garden paved over, the Oval Office filled with gilded décor — I've been inside during previous administrations, and the difference is striking. ((second part on cam, close up!))

Then the entire East Wing came down for a new ballroom. According to a Washington Post investigation, the price tag  has risen from $200 million to $600 million. And despite Trump's promise it'd be "taxpayer-free," US Democrats say the American people will end up footing half the bill.

A similar story played out at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, one of the biggest newsmakers in D.C. these days. What the President introduced in April as a $1.5 million project quietly ballooned to over $14 million. And instead of the "American Flag Blue" he promised, the water turned green.. It’s filled with algae.

+++ SOT Mark, DC resident +++
"It’s green! ... If you don’t cure the algae problem, why does it matter what color it is underneath?"

+++ Tracey, DC resident +++
"Look around! We’ve got a green reflecting pool, we’ve got the Kennedy Center, we’ve got all sorts of river projects that are incomplete…"

Then there’s Trump’s plan to build a massive arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Construction hasn't started yet because of congressional and legal hurdles — such a lawsuit by Vietnam veterans who say it disrespects those buried at Arlington.

Plenty of pushback… but not for every project. Some people told us they were happy that a local park and fountains were restored. 

+++ SOT Mark, DC resident +++
"I'm not a big fan of the president, but he has done some things, some good things in terms of beautifying the city. And I bike a lot and I've ridden around to some of the fountains that have been restored, and they're actually pretty beautiful."

Let’s zoom out of D.C. for a moment - because the president also has plans to put his name and face on national currency and documents… including passports, dollar bills and gold coins.

Critics say Donald Trump is blurring the line between national commemoration and personal branding. Others accuse him of vanity - and behaving like an autocratic leader.

+++ SOT Gloria, DC resident of 50 years +++
"He is not a king, he is the president. So this is not appropriate."

A federal judge ruled accordingly, ordering that Trump's name must be removed from Washington's famous opera house.

From the Kennedy Center and the new ballroom to Donald Trump’s face decorating the Department of Justice... controversy surrounds the majority of the president’s makeover projects. 

END