President Donald Trump has said he hopes Americans notice he’s opened up more than 20 water fountains in Washington, D.C., as a new poll shows staggering voter disapproval over the rising cost of living.
“I hope the Public is watching as the Department of the Interior, Doug Burgum, and myself, are opening up many of the decades old, closed Fountains throughout the D.C. area,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social Wednesday evening.
The president said D.C. was being “reawakened as to its Beauty, Elegance, and Charm” with his passion projects, including what he called the “Granddaddy” Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
Trump’s grand renovations for the White House and greater D.C. area come at a time when everyday Americans are struggling to pay for gas, groceries and other living expenses.
In April, the annual inflation rate rose to 3.8 percent, the highest level since 2023.
A majority of Americans, 58 percent, said the cost of living is their top economic concern, according to a new Fox News poll. Just 16 percent said government spending was the most important economic issue.
When asked about the state of the economy, 77 percent rated it either only fair or poor. Just 21 percent said economic conditions were good and 2 percent said they were excellent.
The Fox News poll, conducted May 15-18 with a sample of 1,002 registered voters, determined 86 percent consider rising prices a problem, including 51 percent who label them a “major” problem.
Concern for the broader economy is nearly universal, where 96 percent see gas prices a problem and 75 percent call it “major”.
Voters overwhelmingly view Trump’s Iran war as the primary driver, with 91 percent saying it is responsible. Gas prices have more than doubled since the start of the Iran war in February and have reached an average of $4.55, according to the AAA.
Trump claimed “America is thriving” at the White House Congressional Picnic Tuesday night, noting the record-breaking stock market and the historically low number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, one of the president’s political rivals, claimed in an X post that night, “Donald Trump isn’t serving the American people — he’s serving himself. And he thinks you’re dumb enough to fall for it.”
In Wednesday’s Truth Social post, Trump touted what he called a “major contribution” he made toward Lafayette Park, which is located in front of the White House.
“The Fountains are now working, and look magnificent as the Park is being entirely rebuilt, using far better and more beautiful materials than originally used,” he said.
Government officials agreed to pay a contractor $11.9 million to repair two fountains in Lafayette Park, The New York Times reported last month, citing federal documents. The government later added tasks to the project, raising the contract value to $17.4 million, according to the outlet.
The Biden administration estimated in 2022 that the repairs would cost only $3.3 million, per The NYT.
The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump has demolished the East Wing of the White House to build his costly, golden ballroom, announced plans to create a 250-foot arch at the end of Arlington Memorial Bridge and most recently, set his sights on renovating the reflecting pool.
The president said on Wednesday that the reflecting pool “never really worked” and was “troublesome for many Administrations.”
“It leaked from all angles, drew dirt, grime, and decay, was often filled with garbage, and wasn’t at all representative of the two Great Monuments it connects — The Lincoln Memorial, and The Washington Monument,” he wrote on Truth Social.
He said the reflecting pool renovations will be complete before July 4, America’s 250th birthday.
