Trump orders restoration of White House North Portico columns, removes 150 years of paint

The latest project

Scaffolding first appeared around the North Portico in late June. On Thursday, workers draped a large tarp over the structure, concealing the columns as restoration work got underway. A White House official described the effort as "standard restoration work," including stone repair and plaster restoration.

Trump's personal involvement

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the president ordered the repairs after noticing damage while greeting foreign leaders.

President Trump comes out to greet a world leader, he sees door dings in the pillars and says, 'Look at all this stuff that needs to be repaired.'

Burgum added that the work would extend "all the way up to the crowns of those towers" and called it "historic renovation work."

A photorealistic cover

The tarp used on Thursday was no ordinary drop cloth. It was pre-printed with a detailed rendering of the columns it hides, making the scaffolding nearly invisible from a distance. The White House has long used coverings to shield construction from public view, but the photorealistic approach drew attention.

Column design debate

Earlier this year, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the Trump-appointed chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, suggested replacing the existing Ionic columns with more ornate Corinthian ones, which he called the highest order in classical architecture. However, Trump rejected that idea, according to The New York Times. The current work appears limited to restoration, not redesign.

Broader construction spree

The column repairs are the latest in a series of White House projects under Trump, who has proposed at least 18 major construction efforts with a potential cost exceeding $1 billion. The most controversial is the demolition of the East Wing to build a ballroom, which has turned much of the grounds into a construction zone. The North Portico work is described as more modest.

1. Late June 2026Scaffolding erected around North Portico columns.
2. Jul 7, 2026Trump tells reporters 150 years of paint removed, columns treated badly by predecessors.
3. Jul 9, 2026Workers drape photorealistic tarp; restoration work officially begins.