Trump slams ‘Biden filth’ as he unveils new plan for DC’s National Mall

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Joe Biden on Wednesday, November 26, after posting a photo of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Truth Social and describing the landmark as a symbol of “Biden filth and incompetence.”

The president’s remarks come as he simultaneously pushes forward with an ambitious plan to reshape the National Mall by constructing a new triumphal arch ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

Trump, who has increasingly used federal landmarks to frame his criticism of his predecessor, claimed the reflecting pool requires immediate intervention and said he plans to oversee it himself.

Trump slams ‘Biden filth’ as he targets Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

In his post, Trump shared an image of the reflecting pool and declared, “This is the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and I fix it. Study it hard because you won’t be seeing this Biden filth and incompetence much longer!”

President Donald Trump delivers remarks before signing the Laken Riley Act, the first piece of legislation passed during his second term in office, in the East Room of the White House on January 29, 2025 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

The comment marked one of Trump’s most direct attempts to tie physical national landmarks to what he calls the failures of Biden-era governance. While the reflecting pool undergoes periodic cleaning and restoration under the National Park Service, Trump framed the routine maintenance as evidence of what he claims is long-term neglect.

His decision to name Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in the post also hinted at a coordinated cleanup effort, one intended not only as a maintenance project but as a symbolic rollback of Biden’s presence in Washington.

A new National Mall vision: Trump’s ‘Arc de Trump’ project

Trump’s latest comments come just weeks after he unveiled plans for a massive new monument in Washington, DC. On October 16, he revealed his proposal for a triumphal arch to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, a structure he said would celebrate “liberty, strength, and American greatness.”

The monument, already widely nicknamed the “Arc de Trump,” would be modeled closely on Paris’s famed Arc de Triomphe. Under the plan, the arch would stand at Memorial Circle, at the entrance to the Arlington Memorial Bridge, in direct alignment with the Lincoln Memorial.

The location places Trump’s proposed structure within one of the most symbolically loaded corridors in the nation’s capital.

Trump described the monument as a “gateway to Washington, DC,” suggesting the arch would serve as both a celebratory landmark and a lasting architectural stamp on the Mall.

Trump ties Biden criticism to sprawling monument plans

The president’s post linking the reflecting pool to “Biden filth” also served as a rhetorical bridge to his broader push to reimagine Washington landmarks.

Trump’s allies have reportedly argued that the Mall needs “revitalization,” while critics see the arch proposal as an attempt to leave a personal imprint on the nation’s most historic public space.

Regardless, Trump’s messaging suggests he intends to use both maintenance efforts and large-scale construction projects as part of his second-term narrative. The president has increasingly characterized Biden-era decisions as structural decline and his own upcoming projects as restoration.

What comes next for the reflecting pool and the ‘Arc de Trump’

The White House has not released a detailed timeline for work at the reflecting pool, nor has the Department of the Interior confirmed specific restoration plans beyond what is already routine. But Trump’s decision to highlight the issue publicly indicates he wants it positioned as part of his administration’s broader National Mall agenda.

President Donald Trump attends the Super Bowl LIX Pregame at Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, planning discussions for the triumphal arch continue, and the proposal is expected to face significant review from federal and municipal agencies. Preservation groups have also signaled that they will closely scrutinize any attempt to alter the Mall’s historic sightlines.