Trump bashes Washington’s likely next mayor, touts golf course project

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump lashed out on June 28 at Washington’s presumptive next mayor, calling her a communist who would destroy the capital city, even as he touted grandiose building projects, including the refurbishment of a golf course.

Trump said in the Truth Social post that he would meet with Janeese Lewis George, who prevailed in the Democratic Party mayoral primary on June 23, all but assuring that she will win November’s election in the heavily Democratic city.

But he warned that he would not let Washington, which he claimed to have made a “Safe and Prestigious Community” again with the deployment of National Guard troops, “be destroyed by a Communist adherent”.

Trump recently has ramped up his use of the word “communist” to describe political foes, including referring to three winners of Democratic primaries on June 23 in New York City, backed by leftist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as “godless communists.”

Like Mamdani, Lewis George identifies as a democratic socialist, not a communist.

In a lengthy second post, Trump bragged about steps he has taken to beautify Washington, including resurfacing the bottom of the Reflecting Pool with an “American flag blue” coating used in swimming pools.

But since its installation, the coating has begun to peel off and algae has turned the water green – a persistent problem over the years.

Repeating past claims, Trump accused “Criminal, Radical Left Vandals” of cutting the bottom and ripping up sections of coating.

He has not provided evidence for his allegations, but the National Park Service told AFP on June 22 that five individuals had been arrested for vandalism.

Trump said the pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial would be drained and repaired after the July 4 holiday marking 250 years of American independence.

He went on to say he planned to renovate a “dilapidated, worn out and very dangerous” golf course in Washington called East Potomac Golf Links, located on an island in the Potomac River.

After touring the course on June 28, Trump said “it was determined that, on this fantastic site, with water and unparalleled views of DC’s Monuments, we will build one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World”.

When renovations are complete, East Potomac could host major tournaments including the US Open, the former real estate developer said.

The golf course plan is the latest example of Trump’s attempts to impose his personal imprint on the capital’s architecture.

Since his second term began, he has torn down the White House’s East Wing, with plans to build an enormous ballroom, and proposed a huge arch on the far side of the Potomac, near the Arlington National Cemetery for fallen American soldiers. AFP