SerpApi.Org
President Donald Trump’s personal dedication to building a large White House ballroom and a 250-foot triumphal arch and remodeling the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have sparked fierce criticism, lawsuits and federal charges over peeling paint.
More than 35,000 people submitted comments about the White House ballroom alone, with 97 percent of them critical of the effort. But what does the broader American public think about these projects? How many people love them, hate them or don’t feel strongly either way?
A Washington Post-Ipsos poll this month asked more than 2,600 U.S. adults whether they feel “enthusiastic,” “satisfied,” “dissatisfied” or “upset” about the trio of projects in and around Washington, D.C. (Trump’s proposed arch is just across the border in Virginia.) The nationwide survey also asked whether people think Trump is trying to “make Washington more beautiful” or has a different goal in mind.
Here’s what they said.
About 1 in 3 Americans, 32 percent, say they feel enthusiastic or satisfied with Trump’s ballroom, Reflecting Pool and triumphal arch projects, while nearly 2 in 3, 65 percent, feel dissatisfied or upset. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans say they feel upset about the projects, more than three times the percentage who feel enthusiastic about them.
The Post-Ipsos poll asked respondents how they feel about these three projects as a group, although opinions may differ somewhat for each. Surveys asking separately about each effort have found greater opposition to the White House ballroom than the proposed arch or Reflecting Pool renovation.
Democrats are far more negative about Trump’s projects than Republicans are positive. Almost 7 in 10 Republicans have a positive view of the projects, while about 9 in 10 Democrats see Trump’s projects negatively.
The disparity in strong opinions is even larger, echoing views of Trump himself. A 67 percent majority of Democrats say they are “upset” by the projects, compared with 31 percent of Republicans who say they are “enthusiastic.” That pattern holds even among the ideological wings of each party, with 79 percent of liberal Democrats saying they are upset about Trump’s projects versus 43 percent of self-identified MAGA Republicans.
Among political independents, 73 percent view the projects negatively, including 39 who say they are “upset.”
About one-quarter of Americans, 26 percent, think Trump’s goal is to “make Washington more beautiful” with these three projects. But about twice as many say Trump has a “different goal.”
The Post-Ipsos poll asked the 51 percent of U.S. adults who said Trump has a different goal to “describe what you think Trump’s goal is with these projects?” in their own words.
To glorify himself, serve his vanity or ego
About 4 in 10 of those who said Trump has a “different goal” said the president is trying to glorify himself or serve his vanity or ego, by far the most common reason cited. Here are examples.
Respondents’ answers have been lightly edited for clarity and style.
Leave his mark
The second most common reason people gave for Trump’s projects is that he is trying to leave his mark on Washington, the country or history. About 2 in 10 people who said Trump is trying to do something other than beautify Washington described something like this.
Some claimed Trump is trying to enrich himself, his family or friends through these projects. Others say that he is wasting tax dollars, trying to make his lifestyle more comfortable or trying to distract from other issues and problems.
While many Americans have strong feelings about Trump’s construction projects, their political impact may be limited. When The Post-Ipsos poll asked registered voters to name the three biggest factors in their vote for the midterm election, nobody mentioned the White House ballroom, arch or Reflecting Pool.
Read detailed results of The Washington Post-Ipsos poll. The poll was conducted online July 8-13 among 2,648 U.S. adults nationwide reached through the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, an ongoing panel of U.S. households recruited by mail using random sampling methods. Overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points. The sample was weighted to match population demographics, 2024 turnout/vote choice and political partisanship.
Open-ended responses were classified by BTInsights, an AI open-end coding software. Each survey response was reviewed by a Post polling team member to ensure it was accurately categorized and, if necessary, recategorized. Category names were also edited after a review of all codes within each group.
