--- title: Trump Is Changing the 'Horrible' Front of the White House. Here's How description: Since returning to office, Trump has launched several construction projects at the White House and in the wider Washington area. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/how-trump-is-changing-front-of-the-white-house-renovation-project/ author: Tiago Ventura article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-07-14T11:27:23.635Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-14T11:27:27.378Z article:section: Politics og:title: How Trump Is Changing the 'Horrible' Front of the White House in Latest Renovation Project og:description: Since returning to office, Trump has launched several construction projects at the White House and in the wider Washington area. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/how-trump-is-changing-front-of-the-white-house-renovation-project/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415ca3d2aa43d2be/6a561ca489db45bc43295559/GettyImages-2285205320.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4645 og:image:height: 2613 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2285205320.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Trump Is Changing the 'Horrible' Front of the White House in Latest Renovation Project twitter:description: Since returning to office, Trump has launched several construction projects at the White House and in the wider Washington area. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415ca3d2aa43d2be/6a561ca489db45bc43295559/GettyImages-2285205320.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Trump Is Changing the 'Horrible' Front of the White House in Latest Renovation Project > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura Jul 14, 2026 11:27 AM UTC  A protective tarp covers the scaffolding and columns on the North Portico of the White House on July 12, 2026. A protective tarp covers the scaffolding and columns on the North Portico of the White House on July 12, 2026. Kevin Carter—Getty Images  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura Jul 14, 2026 11:27 AM UTC President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/article/2026/06/05/republicans-vote-to-block-trump-white-house-ballroom/) is renovating the front of the White House, which he describes as being “horrible” and in “deplorable condition.” Denouncing [mounting criticism](https://time.com/article/2026/05/28/trump-arch-plans-democrat-legislation-construction-projects-backlash/) from Democratic lawmakers over the attention and funds he has given to renovation projects at the White House and the Washington area, Trump has [vowed](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116903460037642922) the main entrance “will be a symbol of extraordinary beauty and pride” when it’s finished. Trump’s comments over the weekend came after construction workers set up tarp by the scaffolding last week at the North Portico columns. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently offered insight into the project, [describing](https://youtu.be/RiCZ-1nX6Gw?t=2287) the work as progressing quickly. “President Trump comes out to greet a world leader, he sees door dings in the pillars and says, ‘Look at all this stuff that needs to be repaired,’” Burgum said during a recent episode of _The Katie Miller Podcast_. “It’s all historic renovation work.” In addition to the restoration work on the columns, there is also work being done on the North Portico doors. A White House official told TIME the doors are undergoing security enhancements and upgrades, with the North Portico project expected to be finished around mid-September. An official from the Secret Service confirmed security upgrades are taking place to the entrance. It's unclear what those upgrades will entail. The White House did not respond to queries about the estimated cost of the renovation work being carried out at the North Portico entrance. The Trump Administration is also considering additional security to the area surrounding the famed D.C. residence. A proposal [released](https://www.cfa.gov/system/files/meeting-materials/2-CFA-16JUL26-2-EOP-USSS-NPS-LaSq-Fence%5Fpres%5B7-10%5D.pdf) Friday made a pitch for permanently fencing Lafayette Square, the park across from the White House. Under the proposal, the fences will have entrances that can be open or closed, with the ability to restrict pedestrian access should the Secret Service determine heightened security measures are necessary. Phased implementation could potentially begin in 2027, but the proposal still requires approval from several federal agencies. The latest work and plans join a growing list of renovation projects Trump has launched since returning to office as he seeks to refashion both the White House and the nation's capital. Trump last week announced plans to build a multimillion-dollar granite [helicopter landing pad](https://time.com/article/2026/07/07/trumps-white-house-renovation-project-multimillion-dollar-helipad-backlash/) on the South Lawn to accommodate a new fleet of more powerful presidential helicopters. The controversial and costly demolition of the White House East Wing to make way for a new ballroom has drawn [criticism across party aisles.](https://time.com/article/2026/06/05/republicans-vote-to-block-trump-white-house-ballroom/) House Democrats in May [introduced legislation](https://time.com/article/2026/05/28/trump-arch-plans-democrat-legislation-construction-projects-backlash/) in an attempt to block Trump's proposed 250-ft triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery. Trump’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has also been met with a series of setbacks. The pool’s new blue paint appeared to be peeling off shortly after renovations as an algae bloom tainted the water green. The Administration blamed individuals who allegedly vandalized the pool. The latest repairs will be carried out by the [same company](https://time.com/article/2026/07/06/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-repairs-Doug-Burgum-Algae-Gash/) that previously received a no-bid contract to renovate the pool. Trump faced another setback after he added his name to the Kennedy Center in December, only for it to be [removed in June](https://time.com/article/2026/06/09/trump-name-removed-kennedy-center-building/) after a federal judge ruled that only Congress could change the name of the building. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/how-trump-is-changing-front-of-the-white-house-renovation-project/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/how-trump-is-changing-front-of-the-white-house-renovation-project/"},"headline":"How Trump Is Changing the 'Horrible' Front of the White House in Latest Renovation Project","datePublished":"2026-07-14T11:27:23.635Z","dateModified":"2026-07-14T11:27:27.378Z","description":"Since returning to office, Trump has launched several construction projects at the White House and in the wider Washington area.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/how-trump-is-changing-front-of-the-white-house-renovation-project/","keywords":["White House","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415ca3d2aa43d2be/6a561ca489db45bc43295559/GettyImages-2285205320.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tiago Ventura","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt415ca3d2aa43d2be/6a561ca489db45bc43295559/GettyImages-2285205320.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-2285205320.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Kevin Carter—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/how-trump-is-changing-front-of-the-white-house-renovation-project/","name":"How Trump Is Changing the 'Horrible' Front of the White House in Latest Renovation Project"}}]}] ```