Trump Administration Accused of Deceptive Editing in Promoting Gilded Statues

The Trump administration has deceptively edited the reaction to his $5 million gilded statues in Washington, D.C.

Reactions to the makeover of the Arts of War and Arts of Peace statues located behind the Lincoln Memorial were mixed, but you wouldn’t be able to tell with the rave reviews two travelers gave in the clip that the White House posted on social media.

“I was walking on the back side of the memorial, and I was just like, woah, what is that?” Amy from Topeka, Kansas, told local outlet WTOP in the video. “I didn’t see them before, but they look very bright,” Amy added without noting whether that was a good or bad thing.

Amy’s daughter Gio said the statues look “really nice,” calling them “super shiny” and “beautiful.”

The White House failed to include WTOP’s full video of interviews, leaving out Francis of Fort Washington, Maryland, calling the statues “gaudy.”

The Daily Beast was first to report on the White House’s deceptive editing.

“I think there’s a better use for the funds than polishing up these horses, even though they do give a good entry to D.C. from Arlington. In the end, it’s not really going to make a lot of difference as to people’s attitude about the District,” Francis said.

The renovation project, which consisted of covering the statues with nearly 24-karat gold leaf, cost about $5.1 million, according to NOTUS, which cited federal spending records.

“I thought they looked great before. There was a lot of history behind it,” D.C. resident Steven Davis told WTOP about the statues. He called the makeover “a little over-the-top for my taste, but, hey, to each their own.”

The statues, originally bronze, were a gift from Italy and were erected in 1951. The statues underwent repairs in 1974.

Karen from Fort Washington said the statues’ new look was “tacky.”

“Looks like Home Depot gold spray paint,” Karen told WTOP. “I can think of better things to do with the national parks with the $5.1 million that it took to gild these things.”

The gilded statues are President Donald Trump’s latest renovation project in his mission to beautify D.C. as he sees fit, which is estimated to cost a total of $1.2 billion.

A short walk away from the statues lies the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which drew fierce ridicule when it turned green with algae days after Trump had it resurfaced. Efforts to criminally charge a former Olympian for supposedly vandalizing the pool – something he denied – were dropped on Friday when U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro acknowledged that the damage had actually been caused by the contractor Trump hired in a no-bid contract.

Trump's penchant for all things gilded has become evident in his renovation projects. He’s proposed a massive golden ballroom that is expected to end up costing $600 million, with at least half expected to be covered by taxpayers, The Washington Post previously reported.