U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he participates in a cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, U.S., July 31, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Heuer
President Donald Trump's preoccupation with personal legacy projects frequently disrupts official business, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
Speaking to colleague Ezra Klein, Haberman said, "This I will say about getting into his mind: Seventy percent of it would be on his renovations."
"It’s a legacy thing... It’s, 'What am I leaving behind so the world can’t kick me off the world or deplatform me or take my name off buildings in Manhattan or take away my Bronx leased golf course?'"
Trump's monument fixation has prompted strange interruptions during meetings, Haberman explained, including contemplating whether to place a gold "fight, fight, fight" fist from Butler atop a planned arch.
In another instance, Trump called French President Emmanuel Macron mid-meeting to ask about the Arc de Triomphe, asking if it has a visitor's desk and if people jump off it.
Haberman noted Trump views these projects as essential to his historical legacy, to be "remembered by one name" with a distinctive mark on the world.
"That doesn’t involve the boring work of trying to pass a bill," Haberman added, "That doesn’t involve the boring work of going to Iowa...This is fundamentally less interesting to him."
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