Trump admin spends $5 million to gold-leaf four D.C. statues

The Trump administration is spending $5 million in taxpayer funds to restore and coat four monumental bronze statues near the Lincoln Memorial with a thick layer of nearly pure gold leaf, part of a broader push to refurbish Washington, D.C., ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4. The National Park Service awarded the contract in mid-April to a Maryland-based gilding studio without a full competitive bidding process, citing an immovable deadline tied to the anniversary commemoration.

The statues, known as the "Arts of War" and "Arts of Peace," weigh 80,000 pounds each and were originally installed in 1951. They have experienced decades of structural deterioration, corrosion, and discoloration. While extensive repairs were conducted in the 1970s, officials say those efforts did not fully resolve the underlying damage. The current project marks the first regilding of the statues in approximately 50 years.

This restoration is one component of a larger $95 million beautification campaign for the capital initiated by the Interior Department between December 2025 and April 2026. Other planned projects include multimillion-dollar renovations to Freedom Plaza, Meridian Hill...