What did Donald Trump do today?

He got frustrated with his latest pet project and ordered weeks of work demolished.

Trump's latest renovation obsession—other than destroying the East Wing of the White House for his "military top secret ballroom," the already-just-renovated Kennedy Center, shopping mall-style signage reminding people standing directly outside the Oval Office what it's called, cheap gold-colored plastic appliqué from Home Depot on the White House walls, his proposed "triumphal arch," destroying what was left of the Rose Garden, putting up a UFC cage match arena on the White House lawn for a single night's private entertainment, closing off the last public views of the White House, and his now ten-times-over-budget, two-months-late attempts to replace the dark gray surface of the Lincoln Memorial's reflecting pool with a dark blue surface—is a new helipad.

 

Trump has been holding court for weeks on the specific aesthetic details he wants to include, enthusiastically telling reporters assembled for Iran War comment about the particularly beautiful color of granite he wanted, and how it would have the presidential seal carved into it. Much of the work had already been completed. But today, construction crews began demolishing weeks of work on Trump's orders, reverting almost all the way to the beginning because Trump was dissatisfied with the particular way it looked against the horizon from his vantage point inside.

The official reason for the destruction of the old landing site is that newer versions of the helicopters used to transport him could theoretically damage the grass. (Trump has been excitedly telling reporters about his plans to replace the grass on White House lawns lately, too, spinning biologically inaccurate stories about how the actual leaves of grass themselves were more than 100 years old.) But off the record, Trump's staff offer other explanations. He has become convinced that it is essential that China's president Xi Jinping be received at the White House on the new pad. And the 80-year-old Trump, who often finds it very difficult to walk short distances in a straight line, or go down ramps or stairs without assistance, would be spared a couple hundred feet of walking in the new location. 
 

Why does this matter?

• Putting up gaudy palaces as a show of the leader's power is what tinpot dictators do. 

• Presidents have more important things to do than worry about what kind of pavers border a helipad. 

• Presidents who decide to worry about that kind of thing anyway should be able to think things through first so that they don't have to do everything twice. 

• Elderly people repetitively obsessing over pet projects and becoming frustrated easily is not a good sign of cognitive health.