Trump doesn’t dispute he’s building monuments to himself: ‘Nobody will do it once I’m gone’

Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File

President Donald Trump did not dispute that he is building monuments to himself amid his architectural blitz in Washington, DC, saying in a recent interview that “nobody will do it once I’m gone.”

When asked about the monuments, such as the “ triumphal arch, ” by New York Magazine, Trump agreed that he was building them for himself.

“That’s true,” Trump said. “Nobody will do it once I’m gone. When I leave here, nobody will.”

The president has been intensely focused on construction of a White House ballroom and other projects in his second term, much to the chagrin of some congressional Republicans and Trump advisers, some of whom told New York Magazine that harping on the ballroom could harm the GOP’s midterm election chances and make staying on message more difficult.

Trump told the magazine, however, that “the people should be thankful” for the ballroom.

“A lot of people said, ‘Don’t do this interview.’ But I’m proud of the work I’m doing,” the president said.

Trump has argued that the ballroom is necessary for national security, emphasizing plans for a drone port on the roof and an underground bunker, as well as bulletproof windows. Meanwhile, the administration is set to break ground on the 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery in the next two weeks.

But ultimately, as sources told CNN earlier this year , it all comes down to the president’s legacy.

“Look at Donald Trump’s life, look at what he’s done: Built things that no one will ever tear down,” a source close to him told CNN in May, noting that even if successors undo his policies, the ballroom will likely still stand.

“The one thing they can’t tear down will be the East Wing. That is his lasting impact. That’s why he cares so deeply: legacy sh*t,” the source said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images/文件

唐纳德·特朗普总统并未否认他在华盛顿特区的建筑狂潮中是在为自己建造纪念碑，他在最近的一次采访中表示，“我走了以后就没人会这么做了”。

当《纽约杂志》就“凯旋门”等纪念碑向特朗普提问时，特朗普承认这些建筑是他为自己建造的。

“没错，”特朗普说。“我走了以后就没人会做了。我离开这里之后，就没人会做了。”

总统在其第二个任期内一直专注于白宫宴会厅的建设和其他项目，这令一些国会共和党人和特朗普的顾问非常不满，其中一些人告诉《纽约杂志》，反复强调宴会厅可能会损害共和党的中期选举机会，并使保持信息一致变得更加困难。

然而，特朗普告诉该杂志，“人们应该感谢”这个宴会厅。

总统说：“很多人都说，‘别接受这个采访。’但我为自己所做的工作感到自豪。”

特朗普辩称，这座宴会厅对国家安全至关重要，并强调了在屋顶建造无人机停机坪、地下掩体以及安装防弹玻璃的计划。与此同时，特朗普政府计划在未来两周内为位于阿灵顿国家公墓附近的一座250英尺高的拱门举行奠基仪式。

但据消息人士今年早些时候告诉 CNN 的那样，归根结底，这一切都取决于总统的政治遗产。

“看看唐纳德·特朗普的一生，看看他做了什么：他建造了一些永远不会被拆除的东西，”一位接近他的消息人士在5月份告诉CNN，并指出即使继任者推翻了他的政策，宴会厅也可能仍然屹立不倒。

“他们唯一拆不掉的就是东翼。那是他留下的最宝贵的遗产。这就是他如此在意的原因：关乎遗产，”消息人士说。

这是一则正在更新的新闻。