A year into Trump’s presidency and he’s making a lot of permanent changes to the White House and Washington DC – the question is, why would he bother if he’s leaving before they’ll be finished?

Donald Trump has spent a lot of time this week telling people how great his new bathroom is.

The US government is currently shut down over a budget and welfare funding dispute – meaning hundreds of thousands of the poorest Americans are missing paycheques and assistance to feed their families.

Yet much of Trump’s attention appears directed at the variety of lavish building projects, refurbishments and “upgrades” he’s launched in the White House – and wider Washington DC.

Last week the shocking image emerged of bulldozers tearing down the East Wing of the White House, to make way for a cavernous ballroom on the side of the building.

He’s already paved over the world famous White House rose garden – planted by Jaqueline Kennedy and the location of countless moments of history.

He’s laid down white marble paving so he can throw dinner parties out there, just like he does at Mar A Lago, his Florida resort. In fact, he wanted it to be so much like his Palm Beach home, he used the same yellow and white umbrellas at every table.

And on Thursday, Trump posted two dozen pictures of the en suite attached to the Lincoln Bedroom online, bragging about how he’d ripped out the Harry Truman-era turquoise art deco tiling and replaced it with polished Italian marble.

He claimed it was “totally in keeping” with the era of Abraham Lincoln – a weird thing to say for two reasons. First because the White House of Lincoln’s time was relatively austere, with wood fittings and tin bathtubs, and Trump’s refurb makes it look like one of his hotels.

And perhaps more importantly, because the bedroom in question didn’t exist until the 1950s, and wasn’t named after Lincoln until the 1960s.

The question remains – why is he doing this?

Trump only has three years left of his term. If the ballroom is complete by the time his presidency ends, it will be a miracle. And the same goes for the enormous triumphal archway – like the Arch De Triumph – which he’s planning to build near the Lincoln Memorial. People are already calling it the Arc De Trump.

Trump says he wants to leave something behind for future presidents and Americans to enjoy.

But Trump famously dislikes Washington DC – and reportedly described the White House as a “dump” during his first term.

And he and his allies are repeatedly teasing the idea of him remaining in office after the end of his term in 2028, by hook or by crook.

Is it possible he’s putting so much effort into remodelling the White House, and Washington, because he plans to stay there much longer than three years?

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