President Donald Trump is trying to force out Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell by launching a baseless criminal investigation into his congressional testimony about a renovation project at the central bank.
Debris is seen at a largely demolished part of the East Wing of the White House on Oct. 23, 2025.
It's a move that even some Republicans are saying is a phony pretext to try to force Powell out so Trump can name a new Fed chair who will bend to his will on lowering interest rates. Such a move would eliminate the Fed's independence, which could plunge the U.S. economy into a recession.
The irony, of course, is that Trump has overseen multiple illegal and offensive renovations that are far more worthy of a criminal probe than the cost-overruns at the Fed. But of course, that won't happen because Trump has eliminated the Justice Department's independence, turning it into his personal revenge arm.
But if the DOJ were to actually do its job, here are the many corrupt and offensive renovations that Trump has made in his second term that should be investigated.
East Wing
Chief among Trump’s illegal moves is his razing of the entire East Wing of the White House to make way for his hideously ostentatious and out-of-touch ballroom that will dwarf the size of the White House itself.
Trump knocked down the entire structure without approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, and he's allegedly funding the project through "private" donations—which for all intents and purposes look more like bribes from major executives who are either seeking approval of their mergers or are desperate to dodge one of Trump's retribution campaigns.
West Wing
Trump is also talking about adding on to the West Wing, another potentially illegal renovation.
It's a move that we all should've seen coming, as Trump was spotted taking a bizarre walk on the West Wing roof over the summer.
The renovation is not out of necessity but rather to make his despicable ballroom stand out less by evening out the two sides of the White House.
White House interior
Trump has also made ugly-as-sin renovations to the inside of the White House, including a marble-encrusted Lincoln Bathroom—which he boasted about updating as he was set to withhold food stamps from low-income Americans. A real man of the people, he is.
Rose Garden
Concrete is poured over where the White House Rose Garden once was on July 25, 2025.
In one of his first moves upon reentering the White House, Trump spent millions to pave over the historic Rose Garden, turning the space into a sad, gray patio.
It not only looks like his gaudy Mar-a-Lago club, but also behaves like it, with Trump wining and dining with his rich buddies where they conspire ways they can enrich each other.
The Kennedy Center
Trump’s illegal renovations have not just occurred at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but he’s also slapped his dumb name onto the Kennedy Center, even though the building was named by an act of Congress and changing it required congressional approval.
In fact, the Washington Post reported that Trump had the performing arts center board change its rules to permit the name change. But the name isn’t the only thing Trump is ruining at the Kennedy Center: He is also trying to add marble arm rests to seating in the theater, putting his signature gaudy touch on the building.
Other renovations
Aside from demolishing the White House and defacing the Kennedy Center, Trump has also carried out a hostile takeover of public golf courses in Washington and slapped his name on the side of the U.S. Institute of Peace, which his administration illegally took over.
He’s also talking about building an arch near Arlington National Cemetery—which is disgustingly being dubbed the “Arc de Trump.”
Trump is a one-man wrecking ball, who is more obsessed with remaking the nation’s capital in his image than he is about helping Americans.
It’s no wonder his approval rating is in the toilet.
