Overview
- President Trump posted photos in late July showing workers removing scaffolding to reveal the newly regilded Arts of War equestrian statues, Valor and Sacrifice.
- National Park Service records and reporting say the pair were coated with 23.75‑karat gold leaf under a roughly $5.1 million contract awarded to The Gilders’ Studio by the Department of the Interior.
- The Park Service closed nearby lawn and turf areas starting July 2 and plans restrictions through Sept. 30 while crews finish rehabilitation and remove equipment, and work on the companion Arts of Peace pair is expected by the end of September.
- Coverage and tone vary across outlets, with some reports focusing on the technical conservation details and Interior’s ‘auramaxxing’ framing for the 250th while others emphasize the cost and the president’s broader Washington makeover agenda.
- The project affects public access to parkland and may prompt further scrutiny over spending and future high‑visibility restorations of D.C. monuments as the administration pursues more aesthetic changes.