Donald Trump's image and name are multiplying across Washington at an accelerating pace, breaking longstanding American restraint about venerating sitting leaders. Banners bearing his face now hang at the departments of justice, labour, and agriculture. His signature will appear on $100 bills for the first time in U.S. history. The administration is pushing for a $250 bill featuring Trump to mark the nation's 250th anniversary, though federal law currently prohibits living people from appearing on currency.
The impulse to commemorate oneself while in power is a well-worn hallmark of authoritarian states. Mussolini's image saturated fascist Italy. North Korea displays photographs of Kim Jong-un alongside those of his father and grandfather in every home and public building. Turkmenistan erected a golden statue of leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on a marble cliff overlooking the capital.
Healthy democracies have historically rejected such spectacles. George Washington, the nation's first president, refused to appear on currency, viewing it as uncomfortably European and monarchical. The principle held for two centuries. Trump has dispensed with it entirely.
His renaming campaign extends beyond currency. He reportedly offered federal infrastructure funds if Dulles airport and Penn Station would be renamed in his honour. A $1.4 billion White House ballroom project is underway. Last week, a federal judge ordered his name removed from the Kennedy Center, ruling that an arts venue cannot be renamed without congressional approval.
For authoritarian figures, ubiquitous imagery serves dual purposes: it bolsters claims to legitimacy and projects power. Omnipresence suggests omnipotence. For Trump, a former reality TV entrepreneur who once sold steaks and a university bearing his name, the motives may be simpler. Vanity and brand expansion appear central. Sycophants seeking favour likely fuel additional projects.
The scale of this self-glorification exists alongside profound governance failures. Polling data reveals public resistance. Pew Center research from last month found only 9 percent of Americans considered it acceptable to name government buildings after Trump while he serves as president, with 50 percent opposed. Quinnipiac polling showed 68 percent of voters felt he was not sufficiently focused on the economic problems they face.
Scholars who study propaganda have found it often backfires over time. Research on leadership imagery in the United Arab Emirates uncovered no evidence that such displays increased compliance or support among citizens. Studies of crude propaganda tactics in China suggested they initially deter dissent but erode state legitimacy and public satisfaction in the long term, potentially worsening a regime's prospects.
Trump himself acknowledged earlier that he does not think about Americans' financial situations when pursuing geopolitical conflicts. Yet he proceeds with commissioning expensive construction projects and slapping his name on federal currency while voters struggle with the cost of living. History suggests such monuments rarely outlast their subjects. Whether that wisdom penetrates before the damage compounds remains an open question.
Author James Rodriguez: "This isn't just vanity run amok, it's a president openly adopting the playbook of despots while telling Americans he isn't thinking about their bills."
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