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Why every vestige of Trump must be torn down
He's trying to create a physical legacy. The moment he's out of power, it has to be smashed to bits.
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Donald Trump has always loved slapping his name on things. It reflects a desperate desire for acknowledgement, a yearning to be seen and known by others, a cry of “I exist, and I am important!” shouted to the universe.
Now, with the power of the federal government in his hands, he’s doing more of it than ever — much more than in his first term.
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It goes beyond an exercise in branding. Trump is seeking a physical legacy, a collection of signs and structures that will pay eternal tribute to his greatness. Which is why it is so important — and why it will be so rewarding — for the next Democratic president to tear it all down and smash it to bits.
This isn’t just about petty revenge, even if there is undoubtedly some of that going on here. Emerging from this dark period in our history will require a sweeping, comprehensive strategy of repudiation and repair, one that encompasses the substantive, the procedural, and the symbolic. Fortunately, removing the physical remnants of Trumpism will be much simpler than reconstituting the federal workforce or rebuilding our security alliances.
The totems of Trumpism are multiplying
In just the last few months, Trump has embarked on a frenzy of construction and renaming that is proceeding so quickly it can be hard to keep track of. It’s almost as if he suddenly realized — after doing almost none of this in his first term — that amidst all the other laws, rules, and norms he so enjoys breaking, there was one he had overlooked: We don’t name things after sitting presidents, often not even after living ones.
In the past, a president had to merely hope that if he achieved greatness, the nation would one day express its thanks to him by erecting statues and putting his name on elementary schools. To hell with that, Trump said.
So the US Mint is going to create a commemorative $1 coin with his face on both sides. The US Institute of Peace has been renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The Kennedy Center has been (illegally) renamed The Trump Kennedy Center.
Trump tore down the East Wing of the White House so it could be replaced with a monument to his sleaze, a ballroom he’ll probably end up naming after himself (though for now he claims “I don’t have any plan to call it after myself”).
He wants to build a gigantic triumphal arch. He recently announced plans for a “Golden Fleet” of new battleships, named the Trump Class, and explained that he’d be working on the design because “I’m a very aesthetic person.”