Giant Trump, Washington Banners Appear At Department Of Interior

BIG NUMBER

$16,400. That’s how much the USDA reportedly spent on the banners honoring Trump and Lincoln.

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TANGENT

One commenter on social media Wednesday compared the banner of George Washington to a similar one used by the German American Bund’s “Pro-American Rally” at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 20, 1939 (Washington’s birthday). The rally was organized by a pro-Nazi American group and drew more than 20,000 attendees, who were greeted with an enormous, 30-foot-tall illuminated image of Washington at center stage. “This isn’t the first time fascists tried to use Washington for their own political gain,” the commenter wrote.

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Key background

It’s not unusual for presidents to be honored on government property but large, exterior banners featuring a sitting president’s image are unprecedented. Trump’s administration has embarked on a wide-reaching campaign to place his branding on federal institutions, including renaming efforts and Trump-themed imagery on federal materials. After Trump re-shaped the board of the Kennedy Center with new appointees, for example, the board voted to add his name to the institution’s official title and building signage. Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that the move was illegal because the center was created by Congress as a memorial to John F. Kennedy and cannot be renamed without congressional approval, and ordered his name removed. His name came down this week but the legal controversy is still ongoing. Trump-linked branding has also appeared on things like the U.S. Institute of Peace and several federal programs like“TrumpRx” (a prescription program), “Trump Accounts” (savings accounts for children) and the “Trump Gold Card” visa initiative, all of which drew legal or administrative scrutiny.

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further reading

ForbesFederal Judge Demands Answers About Tarps Blocking Kennedy Center SignBy Conor Murray

ForbesGiant Trump Banner Now Hangs At DOJ HeadquartersBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs