A large banner with Donald Trump’s face was hung on the front of the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, the president’s latest effort to imprint his personal brand on the nation’s capital.
Observers spotted the lengthy blue banner featuring Trump’s face sandwiched between two pillars on the building’s exterior on Thursday. The banner, which also includes the DOJ seal, states, “Make America Safe Again,” and adorns the front entrance of a department that Democrats say has been weaponized by Trump.
“We are proud at this Department of Justice to celebrate 250 years of our great country and our historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction,” the DOJ said in a statement.
The new decor is the latest in a series of renovations Trump has undertaken in the nation’s capital since taking office again in 2025.
An even larger banner stretches across the facade of the U.S. Department of Agriculture building, beside another of Abraham Lincoln. The banners reportedly cost $16,400 to hang. Another Trump banner with the phrase “American Workers First” was hung beside a similarly sized American flag on the U.S. Department of Labor building last summer. Most notable is Trump’s rebranding of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, informally known as the Kennedy Center, to the “Trump Kennedy Center” — a move that outraged patrons, members of the Kennedy family and lawmakers such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who pointed out that only Congress has the authority to rename the center. Trump has also put his stamp on the White House, green-lighting the construction of a new $250 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which the White House has characterized as a “much-needed and exquisite addition.” He has also gilded the Oval Office, adding gold furnishings and decor, and paved the Rose Garden in the style of his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Erum Salam is breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian and is a graduate of Texas A&M University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Follow her on X, Bluesky and Instagram. Recommended
Last year, Trump added his name to the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters to “reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history.”
