Fact Sheets

# Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Directs Administration to Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again

The White House
August 28, 2025

RESTORING AMERICA’S ARCHITECTURAL GRANDEUR: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order mandating that Federal public buildings, such as courthouses and government office buildings, embrace classical architecture to honor tradition, foster civic pride, and inspire the citizenry.

- The Order ensures that applicable Federal public buildings are constructed in a style that uplifts and beautifies public spaces, ennobles our Nation, and commands respect from the general public.
- The Order requires that all Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional architectural heritage.
- The Order directs that classical architecture serve as the preferred architectural style for all Federal public buildings, especially in the District of Columbia.
- The Order emphasizes that designs diverging from classical architecture must convey the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the American government and command public respect.
- The Administrator of the General Services Administration is responsible for implementing this Order, which establishes processes for ensuring architects and administrators with appropriate training are involved in building design.
- It requires notification to the President through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy when a building design deviates from the preferred style, including where a design embraces Brutalist, Deconstructivist, or other modernist architecture.

ENSURING TAXPAYER-FUNDED BUILDINGS SERVE TAXPAYERS: President Trump is committed to ensuring that taxpayer-funded buildings reflect the values and aesthetic preferences of the American people.

- The Founding Fathers wanted America’s public buildings to inspire the American people and encourage civic virtue.
- George Washington and Thomas Jefferson personally guided the design of iconic structures like the Capitol Building and the White House, setting a standard for timeless architecture.
- In the 1960s, the Federal government largely replaced traditional designs with modernist and Brutalist ones—a move that was deeply unpopular.
- A majority of American taxpayers want classical, regionally inspired public buildings that beautify public spaces, and their government should respect their preferences.

MAKING AMERICA BEAUTIFUL AGAIN: President Trump is committed to revitalizing the beauty of America’s public spaces and restoring the architectural grandeur that reflects our nation’s heritage.

- In 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order on “Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture,” which President Biden rescinded in 2021.
- In 2023, on the campaign trail, President Trump promised to “get rid of ugly buildings … and return to the magnificent classical style of Western civilization.”
- In January 2025, President Trump signed a memorandum directing the Administrator of the General Services Administration to provide recommendations on making Federal civic architecture beautiful again.
  - He also signed an Executive Order to protect America’s monuments from vandalism and revive the National Garden of American Heroes.
  - He launched initiatives like the Great American State Fair and America 250 Commission to instill pride in America’s history and accomplishments, fostering a renewed sense of patriotism.
- In March 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order to make Washington, D.C. safe and beautiful, and in August 2025, the President took additional measures to restore safety and beauty to our Nation’s capital.
- In July 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order to make national parks great again, increasing revenue for conservation projects that will improve the majesty and legacy of our national parks.
- In August 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order to restore respect, pride, and sanctity to the American flag and prosecute those who desecrate this symbol of our freedom, identity, and strength to the fullest extent permissible.

## Related

- #### Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again

  Presidential Actions, Executive Orders
  August 28, 2025

- #### Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture

  Presidential Actions
  January 20, 2025

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- #### Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Works to Make Our Nation’s Capital Safe and Beautiful

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- #### Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes Make America Beautiful Again Commission

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